Star Wars: Emotion, Yet Peace
by JinxJenks
Summary: Two Jedi, one of the light, and another of the dark. The two brothers Liam and Kiber are not very close for obvious reasons. When Kiber betrays the Jedi order in an unforgivable way, how will he be saved. Can Liam even hope to save him, or will it lead to the deaths of them both. (I do not own Star Wars) (Constructive Criticism is appreciated :P) (OC)
1. Forbidden Love

3,369 BBY or 16 BTC…

A woman lied on her bed in the slums of Coruscant's lower district. She was of Human origin and she too was human, her light skin looked just as dark as any of the other species in the dim lights of her room. She was carrying quadruplets, and her husband watched over her as she cried in pain from the agonizing process of child birth. He was a Miraluka; an eyeless near-human species, he wore a metallic eye covering to stop others from viewing his vestigial eye sockets. He could see through the force, and he could see his lover's suffering as clearly as he could feel the force coursing through his body. He was a Jedi – she was as well – and they knew that their love was forbidden, that is why they were here. They had wanted a nicer place to give birth, but that wouldn't happen now. Alaina pushed and pushed, breathing like it would be her last; when giving birth to four children at a time it may very well be. Her husband, Liamen, was keeping her stable with the force, but that did not ensure an even close to painless birth. She screamed and screamed as her first child emerged from inside of her and took a large breath; he was welcoming himself into the world. Liamen was coddling him in a nearby blanket when he noticed that the new born had no eyes.

"It's a boy," he said happily, "a Miraluka like his daddy!" he looked down at his first of four sons, it saddened him that he would not be able to raise these children himself; he needed to keep their relations to each other a secret or risk being expelled from the order. Alaina smiled and kept pushing until another boy came out. Liamen quickly put down the other baby in a basket and went to help with the next birth.

"Another boy, a human!" he exasperated; he was breathing so hard that you think he would be the one giving birth, "They both look so much like me…"

"I need to… rest before… the next two come out…" she told her husband. Liamen picked up both of his sons and walked over to sit beside his wife.

"These two are very strong in the force," he told her, "I can feel it."

"Well then… they must go… for training…" she recommended. Liamen looked down at his two baby boys.

"I would like to name them if you wouldn't mind?" he asked to Alaina. She nodded her head.

"Go… right ahead…" he looked down at them again and one made a delightfully adorable cooing sound; Liamen smiled wide and giggled a little. The Human baby was still crying.

"Liamen," he referred to the Miraluka child, "and Kiberan." He said to the other, still crying child. The mother seemed quite stunned at his request.

"Why would you name them the same as you and your brother?" she gave him a worried look, "Won't the council see that something is wrong?" he looked saddened by her point, but did not falter.

"My brother never came back to the light," he referred to his now sith brother who was once a Jedi like him, Kiberan, "maybe he can redeem my brother's name, and maybe his brother could help him through it by bearing my name…" he looked up at his wife now, "They are both common corellian names, they won't think anything of it." She sighed and reached out to touch Kiberan's head; he calmed instantly to her touch. Alaina started to convulse again and Liamen almost jumped out of his seat; he ran over to the baskets and put the two of them down. He quickly wrote their names down on two notes, so as to not confuse the four children. Another boy came; he looked just like the last one, with slight differences here and there.

"Xaffaj…" she said, "His name will be Xaffaj…" he held the new born in his arms for a few moments and then frowned.

"He is not very force sensitive, not enough for training." She smiled still.

"That's okay… we know people… who can take care of him…" he smiled too now; she was right. They had many friends and he could find one for their son. She groaned and moaned as the other baby popped its head out. He put Xaffaj down, writing his name down on a note as well. He reached down in between his wife's legs and as she screamed, another baby boy was born into the world, crying and kicking his legs. She breathed very heavy as her chest contracted up and down.

"Lymathe… name him… Lymathe…" she was absolutely exhausted, but she did have a reason to be so tired, after all. He held Lymathe in his arms for a moment as well; he sighed and let the baby down in the basket where he wrapped him in sheets.

"He's not very force-sensitive either…" Liamen wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a long breath. "They're all in perfect health, we can be thankful for that," he wrote down the name Lymathe on a note and slipped it in the basket, "but only two can go to the temple, where we can watch over them…"

"You mean you can." She said. Liamen looked slightly confused, but it was hard to tell what emotion was on his face when he had no eyes.

"What are you saying?" he wondered.

"I've been transferred." She sat up in her bed now, and stretched her back.

"Where!?" one of the babies began to cry, it was Kiberan. Alaina rubbed her face and let out her breath as well.

"I've been moved to Voss, I'm sorry Lee…" that was her nickname for him; she began to cry. He rushed to her side and kissed her on the cheek; he lifted her chin.

"Do not give in to such negative emotions," he said, "If we are to break the Jedi code then let it be for the right emotions…" she wiped her tears and looked up at him lovingly.

"Do you have any idea who can take Xaffaj and Lymathe?" Liamen sat up for a moment and pondered, he walked over to his sons and looked at their soft faces; they did look like him.

"I do have an idea of where we can put them…" he picked up Lymathe's and Xaffaj's baskets and began walking toward the door.

"Where are you going!?" he stopped at the doorway and looked at his wife with his non-existent gaze.

"I know _exactly_ where to put them," he turned to the door again, "You take care of the other two while I'm away…"

* * *

A few Coruscanti days later he arrived on the Mandalorian world of 'Concord Dawn' an agricultural planet mainly. He landed his starship far passed the outskirts of a nearby settlement, instead landing in a field beside a farmer's homestead. The fields of grass blew sideways as he landed his sleek looking ship and opened the airlock. He stepped out of the comfortable looking ship and onto the soft soil. It had been a while since Liamen had felt soil like this, too much time on Coruscant he supposed. A man dressed in ragged looking attire came out of the homestead with a blaster rifle in his hand; he was a burly looking man with lots of muscle. He noticed his old Jedi friend holding a basket and let his gun fall to his side.

"Liamen!" said the retired Mandalorian warrior, he threw his hands up and let them back down.

"Let me get right to the point." Said Liamen before Askaun could say anything, "This is my son," he held out the basket containing Xaffaj, "you still owe me for that business on Corellia, so I ask of you a favor." He let Askaun take the basket, he seemed very confused.

"What is it that you want?" he asked Liamen; Mandalorians always kept a deal, and on that day that Liamen had saved his life he vowed to make it up to him.

"I need you to take care of my son…" he looked positively perturbed by the concept.

"I-I-I have no experience w-w-with children, I can't take your son!" Liamen sighed.

"He is too weak in the force for me to train, but he will be strong one day…" he paused and looked down at his son, "… if he is raised by a Mandalorian." Askaun stared at the Jedi for a few moments and then gave in.

"Xaffaj huh?" he looked down at his forcibly adopted son and smiled.

"Will you do it?" asked Liamen hopefully.

"I'll make him into a fine warrior…" they shook hands and without another word Liamen got into his ship and flew off into the sky. Askaun looked down at Xaffaj and laughed a bit.

"I'm sure we'll have a great time together kid…" and he walked back into his homestead.

* * *

Liamen docked in a station orbiting the pitiful scum hole that was Nar Shaddaa and met up with another old friend of his, the female Mirialan smuggler named Usodd; she owed Liamen for something as well. They met on Usodd's ship, a corellian freighter with a black and orange paint job.

"I'm not sure…" said Usodd whilst rubbing her green fore head, "I… I've never taken care of a kid before… are you sure there is no one else?" she said with hope in her heart; smugglers never liked being in debt. Liamen looked at the basket on the Dejarik table nearby and then back to the Mirialan.

"I wouldn't be here otherwise…" he answered. She looked less than pleased by the situation, "Please… I'm begging you, as a friend…" she let out a long sigh and went over to the Dejarik table to see Lymathe; he made a cooing noise and Usodd smiled.

"I… I guess he is kind of cute…" Liamen smiled behind her back.

"Will you take him?" he asked her for the tenth time. She took a deep breath and then spoke.

"I suppose I can take him." She said, "For a pri—"

Liamen had already begun to walk out of the ship, but he had left a large sack of credits on the table for her. "You sly bastard…"

* * *

When he had arrived back on Coruscant he met up with his wife, Alaina, and they went to see their sons before she left for the spaceport. She kissed the two of them goodbye and then she left in a taxi to the local spaceport, bound for the planet of Voss. Liamen tried to stay strong, but he knew that the roads ahead would be long and unforgiving. That night as speeders buzzed by the apartment building's windows, Liamen prepared to disown his final two children. He adorned a black robe that fit very snug to his figure and put on a black mask to hide his identity. Babies that families had suspected were strong in the force were often dropped off by the temple entrance, many of them happened to not be sensitive to the force, but none the less, they were cared for. Liamen snuck around the statues that lined the walkway to the Jedi temple; he always marvelled at the magnificence of the statues before him. He set his two sons on the top steps of the stairs to the temple, right beside the near right column. He had no tears to shed; after all, he would still be able to see them, to talk to them, maybe even to train them. He took off his black robes and put on his usual brown ones; he used the back entrance to the temple that night.

* * *

"Maybe our sons will be friends someday too!" said Liamen's Jedi friend Dren, they were sitting in a local cantina. Dren was a large Zabrak man with long red hair, it was an unusual trait for his race, and it didn't match well with his light brown skin.

"You have a son?" asked Liamen, he never thought that would happen.

"Yes, the council allowed me to have a child with a mate back on Iridonia." Liamen was still confused.

"They allow people to have children in the order now?"

"Only under special conditions."

"Like what?" Liamen asked his horned friend.

"Only the council can decide so the details are dodgy at best." Liamen sighed.

"Well it's too late for me and Alaina anyways." The server droid finally came back with Liamen's glass of Alderaanian Ale, "Thank you!" he said cheerfully.

"_No Problem, sugar!_" 'She' said in a slightly robotic voice as 'She' walked off. He took a big swig on his frothy beverage and set it down on the counter in front of him.

"Ahh…" he relaxed his body and looked at his friend, "Alderaanian Ale, nothing quite like it…" he took another drink of his Alcohol before setting it back down again. The Zabrak patted his remarkably smaller friend on the back.

"Cheer up, you and Alaina would be FORCED to separate if you did what I did; me and my mate will only be able to see each other once in a blue moon…"

"That doesn't matter much now that she's all the way across the galaxy." He reached up to his face and adjusted his eye covering; they were more ceremonial than anything.

"Hey pal, watch where yous' is goin'!" Liamen and Dren looked over to see a pair of men, one Twi'lek and one human, the human had soup on his shirt and he grabbed the Twi'lek by his shirt in return.

"Another day on the job…" said Dren, and then they walked over to break up the fight, being a Jedi was a demanding line of work…


	2. Maturity is a state of mind

3,663 BBY or 10 BTC…

Liamen's sons had turned six years old a week ago, their date of birth was not written down on the notes that came attached to their baskets and Liamen was not going to risk celebrating their actual birthdays; he could be exiled from the order if they found out the truth behind the two children. Liam – that's what everyone else called him as to separate him from the Jedi master – was training in the temple court yard with a training saber and a Drone. The drone floated along dodging randomly left and right, up and down waiting to shoot with its non-lethal blaster bolts. Liam didn't need a helmet since he was already blind. At the age of four he had developed a keen sense of force sight, earlier than most of the Miraluka population and his father was amazed at how adept he was in the force. He had his black hair cut medium length, his father (though no one knew about that) had chosen it for him; he thought it looked good and he wanted to at least have some control over his son's lives. The training drone would shoot seemingly at random, and almost always hit its target; for Liam however, this wasn't the case. He blocked every bolt that flew at him with the training saber and sometimes even managed to make them fly back at the droid. After a while of this the drone fell to the grass as smoke rose off of the metal ball. Liam hung his practice saber on his back and turned around to go back to see his friends. Kiberan – better known as Kiber so as to not confuse him with his uncle who had shamed the order and defected to the Sith empire around 16 years ago – came from behind a pillar just then with his own training saber in hand. His hair was long, especially for Jedi standards; (he had refused the hairstyle that his father had chosen for him) his hair was the same color as his brother's. The only noticeable difference to Liam was that Kiber had brown eyes where Liam had no eyes at all. Liam waved to his twin brother.

"Hi Kiber." Kiber made no effort to reply; instead he simply shrugged and kept walking. "Ok… see you later!" his brother paid no attention to him this time and kept walking. Liam slowly put his hand back down and ran off to see his friends. He was making his way down the hall when Liamen ran into him.

"Good morning Liam." He said as he stepped in front of him to block his way.

"And to you Master…" replied Liam while he tried to step around his master. Liamen grabbed his shoulder.

"I want you to meet someone," said Liamen, "follow me." Liamen led his son to the room where he was going to meet with his friends; no one was there but Master Dren and a small Zabrak child with long brown hair. The Zabrak child was of striking resemblance to Master Dren.

"Liam," spoke Liamen, "This is Master Dren's son, Jorek." The child looked up as Liamen spoke his name. He looked to be of a shy sort, like he did not want to be there. Liam looked at him with an eyeless face; the force could tell Liam exactly how nervous the child was. He could sense the awkwardness as it rose from the boy's aura, a feeling impossible to explain to someone who does not have the gift of force sight. "We need to go now, have fun." Dren and Liamen turned and left through the same hall that Liam had walked through (Talking to each other about Kiber; or so Liam had thought he heard), leaving Jorek and Liam alone. The two children stood in place for a long time before Jorek spoke.

"So… are you Liam?"

The Miraluka child looked back up at Jorek and put his hands in his pockets. "Yeah… I never knew Master Dren had a son." Jorek looked unsurprised.

"I was born on Iridonia, and I was trained on Ossus… now I'm here…" he kicked at the ground trying to avoid eye contact, although that wasn't really hard when you were talking to an eyeless person.

"Do you wanna' go train?" said Liam suddenly, he hadn't even realized he had said it until it was too late to think. Jorek looked up again and shrugged.

"Sure, I don't have a practice saber though…"

"I can get one for you!" Liam walked over to the exit and waved to his new friend, "Follow me!"

* * *

Later that day the two younglings were back in the court yard playing and training, others joined them eventually but before they could do much Liamen returned to gather them for their lessons. They sat down in a dark room off the side of the courtyard and prepared for their lessons. Liamen walked into the dark room and placed an orb on the floor in front of the students. The initial confusion from the students was replaced by shock as the orb opened up and a holographic man stood in the holographic cone. He was a medium build man with two large spaulders on his shoulders that connected to a long red cape; short brown hair sprouted from his head and he had a very unnerving smile.

"This," pointed Liamen, "is 'Ulic Quel-Droma'; has anyone heard the story of Ulic Quel-Droma?" Liam was the only youngling in the room to raise his hand and when he sensed that he was the only one, he slowly put his hand back down. Liamen shrugged.

"I've already taught you this Liam, I would hope you knew." He giggled and went on with the lesson. "Ulic was a very fine pupil in his earlier years, but one day he turned to the dark side," he was explaining the story as one would explain it to a six year old, but that was what was happening after all, "his story is a very good example of why we need to be wary of the dark side." All of the children in the room were leaned forward except for Liam and Kiber; Kiber was generally uninterested.

"But," everyone continued to enthrall themselves in the simplistic version of the story, "he was able to redeem himself, even though the council had stripped him of his force powers."

A youngling Twi'lek girl put her hand up and Liamen pointed at her and nodded to tell her to speak; she stood up. "Why did the council take away his powers?" the whole room was completely silent. Liamen rubbed his scruffy chin; he had forgotten to shave today.

"That is a good question…" he crossed his legs and sat on the floor like the rest, "To this day the judgement of the council is still disputed. He was most likely going to be killed if they hadn't have done what they did." A few children gasped; Kiber was still not interested what-so-ever.

"I urge you to go to the Jedi archives later and read the whole story on Ulic Quel-Droma, it's an interesting read." Jedi were naturally fluent in language, a by-product of their force power Liam had supposed; so even small children were quite talented in speaking and reading Basic. "Your assignment for today is simple, to the untrained eye," he cocked his head toward his son, Kiber, and saw that he was looking in a completely different direction and fiddling with his practice saber, "I want you all to consider why the dark side of the force is so tempting to a young Jedi." He stood up and grabbed the spherical Holocron. "Dismissed."

On his way out of the room Kiber was blocked by one of the more aggressive students, Liam wasn't sure why they continued to train him, he was always so negative.

"I saw you at the practice hall yesterday…" said the child who was only around eight years old.

"Get out of my way Pohn." The human child would not move, he just scoffed.

"You were horrible in your force training, you could hardly lift your saber off the ground!" he laughed and Kiber just put his head down as he tried to ignore him.

"There is no emotion…" he whispered to himself, "There is peace…" he breathed in and out as calmly as he could. The bully moved out of hi way now.

"I'm just bugging ya', you can go now butter fingers." A few of the other kids laughed, but Kiber just ignored them as he walked away, to go train his saber techniques. Liam felt sorry for him, Kiber could be just as good as him, but he could not concentrate the force properly thus far. He walked off with his fists clenched and his willpower nearly broken; at least he had his skills with a blade, just like his uncle…

* * *

The next day Kiber went straight to his training, and the day after that, he would train his saber stances, his muscles, but never his force techniques. He couldn't even seem to grasp the simplest of the training exercises, so he did not even try anymore. Liam continued his usual training regiment, he was proficient with both lightsaber and force combat and was put ahead in the Jedi Sentinel training program at an early age. Kiber was trying to get into the same program but because his lack of a positive attitude, he was having a hard time being accepted into any kind of advanced training. It wasn't like he didn't have time, most Jedi were accepted into advanced training at around age sixteen so he had nothing to worry about, right?

* * *

3,659 BBY or 6 BTC…

Liam and Jorek were practically the best of friends now, they tried to do everything together, but growing up had a way of messing that up. At the age of ten Jorek had been asked if he would want to be a participant in the Jedi Shadow training program. He said yes.

"Congratulations!" Liam said, "I always knew you were meant to be with the Consulars. Lightsaber combat was never your strong suit." Jorek scoffed and shook his head.

"I will get better after they let me have a double-bladed saber, those are SOOO cool!" Liam smiled but looked unimpressed.

"This isn't a game Jor, we are Jedi." Jorek rolled his eyes and grabbed his recently constructed lightsaber from his nightstand. He ignited the Green blade and swished it through the air; it made its signature sound each time it moved.

"That doesn't make it any less cool." He disengaged the blade and hooked it on his belt. Liam looked even more disappointed.

"Yes, it does. We may have to kill people, do you realize that?" he crossed his arms and looked at his friend with a questioning expression. They were quite grown up for their age, but they had to be in order to be Jedi. Jorek receded onto the corner of his bed and sat there.

"I try not to think about that…" Liam sighed and got up to leave.

"We should go; we can go meet the new arrivals to the temple, that'll cheer you up!"

* * *

The Hangars on the far side of the temple were empty most of the time; Jedi had little need for transport when they worked in the temple. The few ships that would be there would belong to the Jedi watchmen. The Watchmen were Jedi who have been assigned to watch over a planet or system, often they would have to do so alone and things could get quite boring. Today the only ship was a small transport ship, and many people of all ages and races stepped down the platform and onto the hangar floor. Liamen caught up with his son and grabbed his shoulder.

"Liam, I need you to show one of the new students around the temple." He turned and pointed to a girl who couldn't have been any older than ten years old; the same as Liam. Liam 'saw' that she was not a human, but an Echani. The Echani were a warrior people with a very war based culture so it was rare for one to be accepted for Jedi training. The only difference between an Echani and a Human was that the Echani had white hair and silver irises. This particular girl had snowy shoulder length hair and a very pale complexion over all.

"Yes, master." The both of them bowed and Liam approached the girl. Out the corner of his eye he could see Jorek walking off with another student, a Kel-Dor. The Echani girl looked very shy so Liam walked up to her rather sluggishly, trying not to make her feel uncomfortable.

"What is your name?" he asked, she jumped a bit as if she hadn't noticed he were there. She wore long white robes that matched her hair.

"My name… is Nakari…" Liam noticed that she already had her own lightsaber built and it sat hooked upon her belt. He bowed before her respectfully and put his hands behind his back.

"My name is Liam," he said as he held out his hand, "it's a pleasure to meet you." She took his hand and gave it a firm shake; the rumors about the strength of the Echani must have been true. "Would you like to walk with me?" she nodded her head slowly. They left through the western exit of the hangar to go towards the courtyard.

"Where are you from?" Liam asked after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"I came from a small Jedi academy on Dantooine, where were you born?" he put his head down but continued to walk forward; he had no idea how to answer that question. He was dropped by the temple steps not long after he was born and no one knew where he came from so they could only assume things.

"I don't know… here I guess." She looked at him strange and went back to being silent. They walked down the temple's cavernous hall ways for what seemed like forever as Liam pointed out where everything was, until they finally arrived at their quarters. He stood beside his door and spoke.

"You can pick any room that isn't already taken, I think you'll find that materiel possession means little to us." She smiled at him while she walked down the hallway to look for an empty room.

"We should spar some time." She suggested as she walked into one of the rooms and stayed there for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Leave me alone, Pohn!" shouted Kiber in the middle of the training room, Pohn just laughed at him and continued to push him by the shoulders.

"Why do you suck so much at this?" he asked sarcastically, "Why are you even here?" Kiber couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm going to give you thirty seconds to leave before I take care of this problem myself."

"Pfft," Mocked Pohn, "you're bluffing." Without warning (and without thirty seconds being up yet) Kiber shot his fist right at Pohn's jaw. Pohn fell right to the ground without a word being said or a sound being made; he was knocked out cold. Kiber was in shock, _did I just do that_ he thought. Surely the masters would find a very harsh punishment for this kind of behavior. In a moment of panic he turned and ran to his quarters, he had locked the door to his room however and forgotten the key in the training room. They would find him soon and he couldn't face them like this, not yet. He ran into his brother's room and closed the door. Liam looked up from the holo-book he was reading and then sat it down.

"Kiber?" he wondered, "Is something wrong, you look terrible." Kiber did not know if he should tell his brother, if he can trust him. However, if he wanted someone to help him he would have to tell them the circumstances.

"I… punched Pohn and now he's hurt and- and- and-!" he fell to the floor; the stress was too much on his young mind. Liam caught his brother in his arms and sat him down on the bed.

"You PUNCHED him?" he asked with an air of bewilderment. Kiber was breathing hard and he nodded his head as best he could. Liam had never expected this, what would he do? What could he do? Should he just let justice take its course on his own flesh and blood; his ONLY flesh and blood other than himself?

"Stay here," he said pointing down, "hide under the bed if you need too and try to mask your force energy; I taught you how to do that remember?" Kiber nodded slowly again. "Good…" Liam got up off of his bed and slowly opened the door; he could sense no one was around.

He followed the aura of surprise and of fear straight to its source, the training room. On the floor lay an unconscious Pohn; there were no masters here yet.

"Listen up." He said softly as to not alert the grown-ups. "I have a favor to ask." The children all gathered around; the most of them had a genuine respect for Liam and would listen when he spoke. "Do any of you have respect for this man." He pointed to Pohn who was still on the ground; no one nodded or raised their hands. "I need you to lie for me." There were murmurs from the uneasy crowd.

"About this!?" said a Chagrian child.

"Yes, just say that he punched first, and that Kiber was just defending himself." Again the whispers of surprise from the group were more abuzz than a group of politicians. "Please, I need you to do this, as a friend!" the children looked at him again, and then they all slowly nodded their own heads with a few saying a hushed _sure_, or _okay_.

* * *

Liam returned to his room to find Kiber still sitting there in the same position on his bed; he was still in shock from the situation.

"Kiber?" whispered Liam, Kiber looked up quickly. He was not in any condition to be punished, the poor thing.

"What happened?" asked Kiber to his brother.

"I told them to lie for you; the Masters will think that he started the fighting." Liam could see a slight smile dart across his brother's face before it left as quickly as it had come.

"Th-Thank you…" was all he could say. Liam held out his hand, in it was the key to Kiber's room. Kiber walked over to his brother and hugged him while he snatched the key from his hand.

"Good night…" Liam said; he didn't receive a response.


	3. A Breaking Point

3,655 BBY or 2 BTC…

Four years had passed, Jorek, Liam and Nakari trained together almost every day; they were inseparable from one another. Day in and day out they would train both lightsaber techniques and Force control. Many considered the three of them to be the most dedicated students in the Temple; this wasn't far from the truth. Kiber was still having troubles with Pohn, and ever since Pohn had gotten in trouble for what he hadn't done (punching Kiber) he had become more and more aggressive. Kiber had contemplated leaving quite a few times, but he didn't want to be considered a deserter; he didn't want to be like his uncle who he had been compared to so many times. Kiber tried his hardest to ignore the bullying, but every day it would get worse. Pohn once even sabotaged Kiber's lightsaber to explode when it was ignited; it wasn't a big explosion but it ruined Kiber's day anyways. Kiber had even considered ending his life 'There is no death, there is the force' he told himself. But he felt he still would not find peace in the cold embrace of death, or the force, or whatever; he didn't care. His newest lightsaber was masterfully crafted, and had a yellow crystal that focused the blade of energy. Every time Liam trained with Master Liamen he would marvel at his master's lightsaber; it had a very decorative hilt and shining silver blade that shone like the sky scrapers of Coruscant in the mid-day light. Today was a beautiful day out and their training was over so the three of them went over to the balcony overlooking the city-scape of Coruscant. Jorek had to leave and left Liam and Nakari alone looking out towards the beautiful skyline abuzz with ships from all corners of the galaxy.

"Hey, Liam…"

"Yeah?"

"… Why do you think Jedi aren't allowed to… know what, forget it." She turned her head and tried not to look at Liam's face. Liam was a clueless sort when it came to these subjects so he didn't get the hint.

"Aren't allowed to what?" he urged her to finish her sentence; she still tried to avoid it.

"I… *sigh*… why aren't Jedi… allowed to…" she hesitated and her cheeks were rosy colored on her pale skin, "Love?" Liam could sense the obvious aura of tension between the two of them. _What is she implying?_ He wondered.

"I… I'm not entirely sure." The air between them went silent again. Finally Liam spoke once more.

"I heard it's because we – as Jedi – cannot hold someone in higher regards than the rest, so as to pass fair judgement."

"That makes some sense I suppose…" the area once again fell to silence. "Liam?"

"Yes?"

"What…" she didn't want to ask this question either, "What would you do if you liked someone like that; how would you make it stop?" Liam's whole body tensed up in that moment; he was still clueless as to what she was inferring.

"I would try to stop thinking about them…" was all he could think to say in a split second decision. They went back into the temple and went back to training after that; without another word.

* * *

Whenever Kiber wanted to escape from his woes he would grab his lightsaber and dress up in a tight black robe so that no one would know it's him. After that he would sneak down into the lower districts of Coruscant to go and have a drink at a sleazy bar there. Today was the same as any day; no one asking for ID or asking his age, just asking for credits. He had extra change lying around all of the time, so he could go and grab a drink whenever he felt like it was the right time to get away. He pulled up a stool to the bar counter where he could see the familiar face of the Human bar keep.

"I'll have the usual." He said as he threw a few credits on the counter. The friendly bar keep smiled and turned around to grab him his pick of poison. All of the regulars were there, and all of the same empty seats were still empty; minus one. Beside him on another stool sat a man who was wearing a long purple and black robe. Upon closer examination Kiber almost jumped out of his seat; he was a pureblood sith! His red face was bright in the darkness of the bar, and his chin was dotted here and there with small facial tendrils of red skin. While Kiber was looking at the man; the sith suddenly turned to face him with his bright yellow eyes. Kiber was petrified by the sudden interest this man had in him. The sith slowly smiled through his yellow teeth and set his drink down. He turned his stool completely to face the young man and put his right hand on his hip.

"Are you… Kiberan?" asked the sith man from underneath his breath. The young human boy was even more terrified now, how could this stranger know his name?

"Y-Y-Yes…" he shouldn't have answered but he did. The sith man clapped his hands together and smiled still.

"My master has told me so much about you!" he laughed a bit and the bar patrons turned to look at him; he pushed his hood back to reveal his short, slicked, black hair. "I am Artumez, at your service." He held out his hand and Kiber unwillingly shook it. He looked down to Artumez's belt and saw a double-bladed lightsaber; Kiber had scarcely seen one.

"Who… Who is your master? How does he know me?" Artumez seemed shocked and then embarrassed.

"Oh! Where are my manners? I forgot to tell you why I'm here." Kiber was still awaiting an explanation from the strange sith man.

"Well…" said Kiber impatiently.

"My master's name is…" he leaned forward and whispered in Kiber's ear, "Kiberan..." he let out a light chuckle as Kiber came to the realization of who he was and whipped out his saber. Artumez ignited his own and the yellow and red blades made contact within the darkness of the dim bar lights.

"Hey!" called the bar keeper, "Take it outside!" Artumez turned and wiped his hand through the air. "…But you don't have to if you don't want to." He went back to his usual duties. Kiber was even more confused now, what had happened there? A blunt object knocked against Kiber's skull and he realized too late that it was the hilt of Artumez's lightsaber. He awoke outside of the bar and rubbed his head with his left hand while lifting himself off of the pavement with his right. He was in an alley way beside the bar; Artumez was sitting on a garbage can only a foot away. Kiber did not even attempt to fight this time; he instead wanted to ask a question.

"What do you want?" he asked the red skinned man.

"I want to open your eyes to the dark side of the force." Kiber scoffed and put his head against the wall.

"Nice try, but try being more subtle next time," he looked at his captor and smiled, "You scum sucking karking sith bastard!" Artumez seemed unfazed by Kiber's insults. He stood up and helped Kiber to his feet.

"I only want to talk, you can decide for yourself after we're done." He began to walk down the alley so Kiber took that as his queue to follow.

"I know you have been having troubles with a 'Bully' amidst your Jedi ranks." Kiber looked even more surprised, to know his name was one thing, but to know something that personal… "Why do you not simply deal with him?" Kiber was – once again – confused as to what his meaning was.

"Deal with him?" he echoed the sith's words questioningly.

"End his life." He replied. Kiber had never even considered such an act upon even his worst enemy. "Your uncle has many eyes, and some of those eyes have foreseen that your problem will just get bigger and bigger, unless you solve it yourself." Kiber stopped just before the exit to the streets from the alley; Artumez turned to face him.

"What are you implying, sith!?" he asked. Artumez crossed his arms and sighed.

"I'm saying you should get your revenge upon the little wretch and then join us."

"Kark that!" said Kiber, "I'm not going to let you manipulate me." Artumez shook his head.

"You will be free from their oppression, from the suffering; I could show you but a glimpse of the dark side's power and then you could unlock the rest for yourself," Kiber knew there was a catch, "but the fastest way to unlock your true power would be to take the life of the one who has driven you to this madness." Kiber actually found himself considering it; he tried to shrug off the thought, but it wouldn't help.

"What would I have to do exactly?" he asked.

"Kill Pohn in two days' time, during the night, and then meet me back here in this alley." He began to walk away.

"It's your decision; I will be waiting in this alley for five hours from eight o'clock to one… if you decide to join us, then you will come…" he disappeared into thin air, leaving Kiber to think. His hands were shaking violently and he couldn't move; he was too afraid of what he might do if he made his way back to the temple… and to Pohn…

* * *

Two days had passed and it was the middle of the night. The lights from the city illuminated the night sky more than the stars. Kiber had made his decision; he had wished to tell his brother about his encounter with Artumez, but decided it was best not to. He had even considered asking Liam to join him, but he knew that would not end properly. Tonight was his date with destiny, a destiny he had forged himself, and Pohn would be the anvil upon which he hammered his blade. He dressed in his black robes and hooked his saber upon his belt; he put his hood up and turned to the door of his room.

"All you'll ever be," he whispered to himself, "Is a faded memory in the minds of your peers…"

* * *

Liam sat up in his bed; he was in a cold sweat and breathing heavy. He could sense a disturbance in the force, and it was strong. He ignored it as best as he could while he tried to get back to sleep; it was far too loud in his head for him to ignore.

* * *

Kiber made his way to the other side of the temple where Pohn's room was, he was really going to do it; this was it. He came to the boy's door and opened it inch by inch, making sure not to wake him. He crept into the dark room and took out his lightsaber; this was the point of no return. He pondered for a moment, would he want to be a sith? What would that entail? He was lost in thought when Pohn got out of his bed and ignited his own saber; Kiber quickly ignited his own and blocked the attack.

"What are you doing!?" he whispered in a panic.

"Something I should have done a long time ago." Kiber knew that he was far more than a match for Pohn. Pohn was too focused on force combat and did not practice with a blade often enough. He slashed down with his large muscles to throw away Pohn's saber; amazingly it worked. Pohn was sent reeling across the room into his nightstand; he had no time to recover as Kiber cleaved him in half. Before he died he said: _Why, I was never serious?_

That didn't matter to the victim though did it?

"KIBER!" screamed one of the masters that heard the ruckus from across the hallway; he ignited his blue saber. He was a Twi'lek; Kiber did not know his name. Kiber considered turning himself in, but just then a feeling of pure adrenaline and… power, rushed through his every bone. Artumez was right; as he fed his emotions he became more powerful. He wasn't going to give up this kind of power now. Kiber used the force – actually used it – to pick up his victim's lightsaber from across the room and ignited it.

"Stop this!" demanded the Twi'lek. Kiber ignored his order as he screamed like a banshee, flinging himself at the master who blocked his path. A battle ensued, and even though the master had had numerous years of training under his belt, he made a mistake. He parried the wrong strike at the wrong time, and so Kiber was able to take his head off. As his tentacled head rolled upon the floor Kiber could barely believe what had just happened. He heard hollers and looked down the hall way.

"Kiber, stop, please!" he could hear the voice of his brother as he ran down the hall towards the scene of the crime. He had his saber ignited and numerous other Jedi were following behind him. Kiber couldn't face his brother, not now. He ran as fast as he could; he even used the force to lighten his step. He ran to the other side of the temple and jumped out the window. He slid down the side of the temple's slanted walls and landed at the taxi speeder. He threw a bag of credits at the droid and it input the coordinates for the bar…


	4. Their Place in the Galaxy

Kiber arrived at the bar later that night, it was around twelve o'clock in Coruscanti time and he hoped that Artumez was there like he had promised Kiber he would be. He went around the corner of the cantina into the back alley and, sure enough, Artumez was waiting there with a smug expression on his crimson face. Kiber approached him cautiously; he was taught never to trust a sith and he wouldn't start now if he could help it. He stopped right in front of the sith man, he looked up and stared directly into his eyes; they held no sign of a conscious or a soul.

"The whole city sector has already heard what you've done; good work." He held out his hand, in his hand was a lightsaber wrapped in black fabric in the middle of its hilt as the ribbons of the tattered material blew in the breeze. It had an intimidating look to it for sure; it would be Kiber's new best friend. He couldn't understand why they were doing this for him, but it was too late to question that because he had already hit a point of no return. He ignited his new blade and it had a glow as scarlet as freshly spilt blood. He flicked it around a bit and found that it moved remarkably fluidly through his hands; it would be easy enough to use he thought.

"I had… had to kill one of my masters…" Artumez laughed, not sarcastically this time, but a real laugh.

"Sith-Spit! I heard them calling you 'Jedi-Killer' but you managed to kill a MASTER!" he grabbed Kiber's hand and gave it a very firm shake with both of his, "We're going to be best buddies, I'm sure of it." Kiber forced his hand from the sith's grasp and stumbled backwards.

"Can we leave? I… I don't feel safe on this planet anymore…" he was openly afraid; he had never done something this bad before, this despicable. Artumez calmed his nerves and wiped the smile from his face.

"Yes, yes we may go now. Follow me."

* * *

"Why…" Liam wondered, "Why?" he looked down at the body of Pohn, he had never liked the boy, but this…

"I don't understand either Liam…" Liamen was by his side trying to comfort his last remaining son; he knew his brother had something to do with the betrayal of his son.

Liam could hear the temple's guards, "Split up!" "Find him!" "Don't let that Nerf-herder get away!" he could barely contain his own rage, so he masked it with his confusion. Kiber was always a distant boy; to do something like this was unthinkable to Liam's mind. He got up and walked out of the room; he couldn't take the nauseous feeling that the still steaming corpse brought to his stomach. 'Why' was always the question, why him, why now, why… this?

"Liam!" Jorek came running down the hall in his night robe and his saber on. When he arrived on the scene the ghastly sight was too much for him; he ran over to a trash can and emptied his stomach. He stood up and wiped his mouth. "What… What!?" he couldn't think of anything more intelligent to say; it was truly a mind boggling moment for them all.

"You two!" called Master Dren, "Get back to bed, we'll take it from here." Liam hesitated and was about to say something, but he decided it was best to listen. Jorek followed Liam back to his room where they sat for a while; they wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. He spent the next few hours with Jorek trying to figure out what could have set him off, and trying to explain it to him, it didn't help. Neither of them could get a hold of the situation.

* * *

Kiber and Artumez had went straight to the spaceport after they left the alleyway, it was nerve wracking for Kiber thinking that he could be discovered at any moment by security. Artumez had his own ship docked in a private hangar; who would have ever thought a sith would have a private hangar on Coruscant. As they entered into his hangar, Kiber was flabbergasted by the piece of machinery that sat before him. Artumez saw his look of awe and turned to look at him.

"You'll have one like this too, someday." He giggled a bit with his malicious sounding voice and waved his hand. The ship's entrance platform lowered down and revealed the door to the ship. The Spacecraft was shaped like a giant U with its prongs faced out to the front. They got aboard the vessel and Artumez hinted for Kiber to follow him to the cockpit, so he did. He sat in a chair adjacent to the captain's chair and looked out as the hangar doors opened.

"I'm thinking of exiting in style." Artumez smiled a wicked smile, "How 'bout you?"

"What do you mean?" suddenly the ship lurched forward and then rocketed into the sky.

"This is exiting in style!" he flipped the switch to activate his blaster cannons.

"What are you doing!?" shouted Kiber, Artumez smiled so wide that his reflection could break durasteel. He turned to a public transport vehicle and lined up his sights on the ships HUD, "Stop!" but it was too late. He pressed the triggers on his steering controls and green lasers flashed through the air for only a moment before making contact with the transport. Debris rained from the sky as the vehicle plummeted onto the building below. Artumez laughed manically and turned the ship up towards the sky. Before Kiber could even ask 'what the Kark just happened?' they were already in Hyper-Space. Artumez leaned back in his chair while Kiber sat with his jaw gawked open.

"What the Kark did you just do!?" he said standing up. Artumez turned to his new friend and made a sneer as he rolled his eyes.

"Think of it this way," He explained, "You're not even a sith yet and you've killed two people," he showed the number two on his hand with his fingers, "now, how many do you think I've killed?" he took both hands and began flashing his fingers open and closed over and over; in essence a very big number. Kiber shut up after that for most of the trip.

* * *

It had been a few hours and Kiber was still unsure about one thing; where were they going? He got out of his chair and walked into the lounge area of the ship where Artumez was playing Dejarik with his Protocol droid and sipping on an expensive drink.

"Where are we heading to?" Kiber asked as Artumez looked up from his game of Dejarik, just then his droid made the winning move. With a swift movement the droid no longer had a head, and he did that using only the force, no saber.

"Korriban, where you will meet my master and we shall begin your training." Kiber was still finding it hard to cope with the whole situation, and now he would have to meet his uncle?

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for that, I—"

"It's too late now; you've signed a contract in blood." Artumez was wafting away the smoke from the robot. He stood up and put his arm across Kiber's shoulders.

"Listen," he said, "You're uncle isn't the bad man that they've told you he was for so long; he is a fair man." Kiber cringed at the thought of what 'Fair' meant to a sith, "You'll like him I think."

"He's not," he growled, "My uncle…"

* * *

Nakari sat right beside Liam and Jorek at Pohn's funeral. A Jedi funeral was not like a regular funeral, there were no words said about the departed, and no words of comfort spoken to the bereaved. Instead they gathered around and burned his body upon a stone table, so that he may wholly become one with the living force. No one cried, no one sobbed or even let out long held breaths. Everyone just stood, or sat, around the Funeral Pyre. The flames licked up Pohn's robes and burnt his cold, dead flesh. Liam had sat up all night trying to understand why his brother would do this, but nothing came to mind. Jorek scrounged his brain as well, but nothing flicked the switch in his mind. So they decided not to think about why, and instead forget; forget about the whole situation.

* * *

The next day continued like the previous days had, with training and research, studying and preparations. Liam and Jorek would be sent out to Balmorra for a few days to get their first taste of war, so that they would not turn tail and run in the years to come. They said goodbye to Nakari and boarded the shuttle to the cruiser they would be traveling on. The three of them wore their usual robes for when they were going outside of the temple, but with a gratuitous amount of armor plating included on and under the robes; they were already prepared for battle. Liamen had told them that as soon as they landed on Balmorra they would be met with enemy fire, because hostilities were growing by the day. The way up to the Capital ship was a long and silent one, only the three of them would be the Jedi escorts for one ship; it was a tall order. As they walked down the long monochrome corridors with their hands in their sleeves, the soldiers made whispers to one another regarding their Jedi companions; it was rather unnerving for Liam to know he was being talked about.

"Okay," said Liamen, "You two can explore around the ship at your leisure, but do not get in the way of the crew understand?" the two of them nodded their heads and went off to see the other parts of the giant space cruiser.

* * *

It was daytime on Korriban when they arrived, Artumez opened up the ship and breathed in the dusty air. Kiber assumed he felt most at home in this hellish climate. As the human boy stepped off of the ship and onto the red sands of the sith home world, he gained a new respect for the word 'eerie'. The way to the Sith academy was lined with ancient sith ruins that were more than twenty thousand years old, and the faceless statues were enough to give children nightmares. As they walked through the sand towards the Sith academy a Klor'slug popped out of the ground, and Kiber froze up. He had seen the slugs as game pieces on a Dejarik board, but to see one in real life; it was big enough to swallow a man whole, with its razor sharp teeth that lined its circular maw. The fat worm looking thing walked on six legs and had two scythe like talons for arms. It charged at Artumez.

"This will be fun…" he stepped forward and raised his hands. As the worm came closer and closer, Artumez felt the force flow up into his arms. Lightning sparked from the sith's finger tips and traveled toward the Klor'slug's body. The slug's body convulsed violently and then exploded into a gooey mess. Kiber stepped over its body as they continued to the academy. Artumez waved off the guards as they ascended the steps to the Academy's entrance. Almost the entire academy was encased in stone and it blended in with the already stone surroundings. While they sauntered on down the steel corridor Kiber noticed that the Honor Guards bowed as they passed by them. When Artumez walked into the main chamber, everyone looked and whispered; he reveled in the attention that they gave him. They stepped up the metallic staircase onto the second floor where they entered a nearby hall. When they reached the end of the hall Kiber's uncle was waiting for them behind a giant steel desk.

"I have brought you your nephew," he kneeled down onto the ground and averted his gaze from Kiberan, "My lord, Darth Kiberan…" Kiber's mind was abuzz now, trying to compile all of the information he had just been given with a single sentence; his uncle… was a Darth!?

"Thank you; you have always been my favorite apprentice, Artumez." He got up from behind his desk; he wore an Elaborate set of robes and heavy armor, with a decorative sith mask. He put down his hood and walked down the steps that his desk sat upon, "Leave us, Artumez." Without another word, the pureblood sith bowed to his master and left the room, closing the door behind him. Kiber was certainly uneasy as he stood before Kiberan, the man that was his name sake.

"You're not my uncle! You have me mixed up with someone else, I never even knew my parents!" Kiberan looked taken back by his declaration, and then he laughed.

"Oh, you know your Father very well…" Kiberan pressed something on each side of his head with both hands and his mask disconnected from his face as steam rose off of the steel. The man beneath the mask looked a lot like the boy that stood before him, "he was a man named, 'Liamen'," now Kiber's mind was truly overflowing with misperception, "was it not obvious?" Kiberan threw his mask to the side of the room and walked closer to his nephew. Kiber was afraid to move, but he was just as afraid of what might happen if he simply stood there. Surprisingly, Darth Kiberan embraced Kiber in a warm hug.

"What are you doing?" said Kiber who was muffled by the larger man's breastplate.

"I have longed to meet you; to think, my brother named his son after me after all I had done…" Kiber wondered if the man would begin to cry. He pushed the sith off of him and tried to hide his anger.

"Why did I have to kill him!? Couldn't I have just came here regardless?" he was breathing heavy now, maybe it was because he couldn't breathe when he was being practically crushed by his uncle's armor.

"No, you needed to show your true intentions, and begin to feed your passion!" he made a clenched fist and raised it in front of his chest, "That is one of many paths to true power." He lowered his hand and pointed at his nephew, "Did you not feel the power coursing through you." He did, he felt it more surely than he felt each and every breathe he thought about taking in, or the breeze on his tanned cheeks. He did not answer his uncle; his expression announced his answer clearly.

"You have a gift," Kiberan began to pace back and forth, "a natural taste for the dark side." He stepped back over to his nephew again and grabbed his soldier.

"What do you want with me?" asked Kiber through his clenched teeth.

"I want to make you, into a Dark Lord of the Sith."

* * *

Liam and Jorek had spent maybe an hour searching the ship for something to do, and then they came upon a door on their right, a cabin of some kind.

"When we make it to the ground you go straight to the camp, understand!?" said an angry soldier to a boy dressed in light battle armor, most likely only around fourteen years old.

"Yes, sir…" he walked out of the door and was met face to face with Liam; he looked confused as to why Liam's eyes were covered, but eventually regained his soldier's composure.

He stood at attention as the door closed behind him, "Young Master Jedi, sir!" he gave them a salute and Liam thought up something to say back to him quickly.

"Uh… at ease, Soldier." The Cadet put his hand down and exhaled.

"Sorry about that, I've never met a Jedi before." He rubbed the back of his head and then stood straight up, "is there anything I can do for you today?" he asked. Jorek was about to answer with 'Nothing, thank you' but Liam – being his friendly self – interjected before he could answer.

"Yes, we wouldn't mind some company around the ship; maybe some of our questions answered along the way?" the young soldier looked cheered right up.

"Yes, sir." He said

"… but drop the soldier act…" said Jorek before they even moved a foot.

"Yes, Si- I mean… Sure." They began walking down the hall.

"Why did that man seem so upset at you?" The boy looked confused.

"Oh, that's my father, he thinks I'm not old enough to fight the empire; he's wrong." He looked absolute in his resolve; especially impressive for someone his age.

"What's your name?" interrupted Jorek, he did that often.

"Ardernus, soon to be Private Ardernus." He said proudly.

"I'm sure you'll be a fine soldier, Ardernus." Said Liam, Ardernus blushed a bit, "Do you mind if we call you Ardy?" Ardernus looked surprised by their familiarity with him.

"Of course not, I like that actually." They continued to walk around the ship for the next few hours, talking and laughing like boys do…

* * *

"I see… so clearly now…" Kiber was on his hands and knees on the floor of Darth Kiberan's room. The Darth stood over him and smiled.

"So you see the true power of the dark side!?" he questioned. Kiber slowly made his way back onto his own two feet.

"I understand perfectly," he looked at his Uncle through his glassy, yellow and red eyes, "Master." Kiberan felt like a void had been filled in his power base, a man of his own flesh and blood.

"From this moment on you are to be known to all as 'Lord Kiber'!"

"Thank you, my Master." He bowed to his uncle and the Darth rubbed his eager hands together.

"Go down to the armory to get your new armor," he pointed towards the door, "I'll brief you later."


	5. Darkness Changes All

The mornings on Korriban were just as hot as the days, very hot. Kiber adorned his new armor, all of it black. Lightweight but durable black material made up his chest plates and coverings for both his arms and legs, and very small shoulder pads that kept his elegant but sinister black cape in place. Other than that he had a black battle skirt and a hood attached to his armor along with a decorative sith mask that wasn't too dissimilar to a Mandalorians helmet. He stood before a training dummy with a Saber in each of his hands; he was powerful now and he could feel the force move freely through him as if it sustained his very life. He leapt at the dummy with lightning speed and before anyone knew it the dummy was in six separate, seared pieces. Kiberan came from behind him, clapping slowly.

"Goo-ood…" he put his hand lightly upon his nephew's plated shoulder, "I think you are ready to set out for Balmorra."

* * *

A day later they were finally orbiting the planet of Balmorra in the giant republic cruiser; one by one they sent out small transport vessels just praying that they don't get shot down. Ardernus went on the same shuttle as the Jedi, since he wouldn't be doing much fighting anyways. There were no windows in the back of the ship, but Liam could hear the explosions below and above them. Ardernus looked completely calm, and Jorek looked like he was going to freak out soon enough. After around two minutes of fast flying they made it onto the ground, but when the back of the transport opened up, they were just greeted by more sounds of war. This was the command base, and still they could see lasers flying overhead and heard blasts from not even a mile away. Liam did not like it here, but Ardernus and Liamen seemed right at home. Jorek had an uneasy look on his face and Liam knew he was nervous because he was rubbing his horns; he always did that when he was nervous.

"Okay, Ardernus you will be staying here – so I understood from your father – and you two shall follow me." He walked towards the 'Strategy tent' for lack of Liam's knowledge as to what it was actually called. They followed after their master and walked in through the metal tent's open archway. On a large steel table was a map of the surrounding area in a twenty mile radius. The General explained that they would be covering a group of troopers covertly as they made their way through the forest to the south; Ardernus' dad would be in the group of troopers they were guarding. When he was done explaining the plan he – in essence – told everyone to bugger off.

"I will go ahead," said Liamen to his pupils, "You two will follow after me in two minutes time, understand?" they both nodded their heads. Without saying anything else he followed behind the large group of soldiers into the nearby forest. Ardernus looked quite upset with the fact that he wouldn't be coming, but Liam couldn't do anything about that now.

Two minutes had passed and Liam was eager to go.

"Are you ready, Jorek?" he asked as he held out his lightsaber. Jorek knew that his friend knew his answer.

"As ready as I'll ever be…" he mumbled. They set off into the forest, they could not see the soldiers or their master, but they knew they were going in the right direction so it wasn't as if it mattered at all. After a few minutes of navigating the tree infested terrain, Liam was sure he could sense someone following them. He ignited his blue lightsaber and held it behind himself.

"Show yourself!" for a few seconds he did not receive a response, but then from behind a nearby tree, appeared Ardernus with a rifle in his hands. Liam sighed and put away his saber, "If you come with us we had better NOT get blamed for it."

* * *

The vessel that Kiber and Kiberan were on had hit ground around ten miles from where the republic base was. They landed at an Imperial Outpost and made a plan for when they met the enemy; Kiber had not joined them inside of the tent and instead waited outside patiently for his master to return. When Darth Kiberan stepped out of the tent he turned to his new apprentice and handed him a small map.

"Take the route shown on the map, try to evade both Imperial and Republic patrols; you are a separate entity here; they will not attack you, but neither will they treat you as sith," he grasped his nephew's shoulder for what seemed like the thousandth time, "Be careful and remember to ambush the republic troops when they are already engaging our own." Kiber nodded to his master and made off through the woodland, jumping across the trees as he went. He was a silent bringer of death, a reaper to all who crossed his path; after he had learned the 'truth' about the Jedi, he could no longer hold any love for them or the republic; not even for Liam, and especially not for his father. Underneath his cold mask a fire was burning in his eyes, he would have revenge for all of the years he had been oppressed when he could have had such power, such strength, such victory, such freedom.

"_The force shall set me free…_" he whispered through his metallic, voice altering mask.

* * *

Liam, Jorek, and Ardernus had been following the route they were told to take for what seemed like hours; miles on foot were quite a great deal larger than when in a transport. The uproar of the battlefield had long left them behind; they could not hear a single laser or explosion. All that they could hear was the sounds of the dense woods. At least the nocturnal predators were not out yet prowling through the trees. The foliage covered their advances well, no one would see them coming until they were but feet away. Ardernus was jumping over fallen logs like it was his job, and Jorek and Liam had to use the force to navigate over the tough terrain; a Jedi never really realized how much they rely upon the power of the force until they could no longer use it, that was supposed to be one of the morals to the story of 'Ulic Quel-Droma', now it seemed like his brother – Kiber – was in the same predicament. Would they take away his powers if he came back, would they banish him, maybe he would exile himself like Ulic had…

Liam sensed a darkness surging through the force, the disturbance was great. He felt it once before, when his brother had killed Pohn… it couldn't be, could it? Liam stopped himself on the branch of a collapsed tree and stood holding his now heavy chest.

"What's wrong?" asked Jorek; Liam looked up at him and let out a long held breath.

"A disturbance in the force, just like when my brother killed Pohn…" Liam felt a very intense weight in his head; his brother must be here.

Ardernus ran to his side and attempted to lift him up, "We need to carry on, Liam!" Liam knew what weight their role played in the battle, but he couldn't face his brother. Not to mention that the pain had already gotten as intense as it ever could be, no matter how close his brother got he would never be able to tell if its him or not unless he was not dressed in some fancy sith garb.

* * *

Lord Kiber jumped from branch to branch as gracefully as a Nexu, he made not a sound as he leapt from tree to moss covered tree. How could things have gone so awry? Maybe he could convince his brother to join him; no, no not today, he would have to wait for another time, but until then he would have to keep his twin alive. And when his Uncle had told him the whole truth, about how he was actually one of four quadruplets… it was maddening, but that rage would feed his power. He would find his long lost kin and force them to join his cause against the republic, or they would perish on their knees while they kneeled before his feet. He never thought it could be so easy to have so much immense power, all he had to do was think of the most negative things he could and let his negative emotions feed his strength. He understood now why his Uncle would abandon the foolish teachings of the Jedi; their code had been deluded from its original meaning…

Kiber thought he could hear something so he looked down. A long single file line of Imperial troopers were marching toward the contact point in their shining black armor. They marched in perfect unison, not a single soldier moved out of place. This was the order that he had always wanted in his life, the organization, and someday he would have the whole Galaxy under his rule; there would be order then.

* * *

Liam continued on with the searing pain burning in his brain; the Force was giving him a warning, a warning of imminent suffering and of great pain for him. He chose to ignore it, it was his duty as a Jedi to follow orders without hesitation, even if the force told him otherwise, only the masters could decide the true will of the force. Still, he did have hesitations in his mind, he just chose not to show them to his peers.

All of a sudden a red laser bolt flew past his head, the force told him last second of the danger luckily. He and his companions ducked quickly behind whatever cover was closest; Liam peeked out from behind the tree he was hiding behind, a huge battle was being waged and he hadn't realized it, he was too focused on his own problems. He needed to get his mind into the real world where the force couldn't toy with it. He nodded at Jorek to let him know he had a plan and then he leapt ten feet off of the ground and onto a branch; Ardernus looked like he had seen the impossible. Liam tried to communicate with them both through the force.

_I need both of you to follow slowly behind me on the ground, give support when needed, but otherwise follow orders._

Now Ardernus looked like he had just seen a ghost, Jorek on the other hand looked completely fine. Liam jumped across the gaps in between the tree's branches and kept running across the branches until he was hovering over the ensuing battle. Some of the soldiers were already dead, but the Imperials were losing far more troops luckily. Luck unfortunately was not on their side this day. He could see Ardernus' father; he was fighting harder than the majority of his troops and mowing down the enemy as they attempted to advance. Out the corner of his force vision, Liam could see a very bulky figure of a man that stood over two metres tall. His scarred, grey face was covered by a breathing apparatus and a dark black hood; he blocked every blaster bolt that was fired at him with his red lightsaber. What was a sith doing here? Liam could recognize this sith lord from a holo-report he had seen once; Darth Malgus. This man had no shame, no morals, he lived for the battle; only the sith could breed such a cruel monster. He force pushed his own men to the side as he waltzed out into the battle field and straight at the Republic troopers. He cut a man in half before turning to grab another by the neck. _I can't compete with this… beast_ he thought. He was right; Malgus was known for his cruelty and he never kept prisoners; there was no chance of victory. Ardernus' father was behind a rock only feet away from the Dark Lord himself; and when he got up to rush the Sith by himself… Liam's heart skipped a beat or two.

He screamed as he ran at the Sith lord to place his bayonet in the man's chest. Malgus barely had time enough to notice him before he was close enough to stab. Malgus threw the trooper way that he currently had a grasp on and then sliced Ardernus' father's weapon clean in half. Before he could react, Malgus had placed his laser sword in the man's stomach, and he rolled over onto the ground, dead. The other remaining troopers went into a full retreat but a lot of them were shot in the backs by their Imperial counterparts. Liam was thinking of intervening when he saw another person running at Darth Malgus; it was Ardernus!

"Die you Bastard!" he screamed at the sith as he unloaded a full clip of ammunition at the Darth. Malgus blocked every one of his shots. Ardernus unsheathed his combat knife from his chest and ran at Malgus; he didn't let him get very close. He raised his gargantuan hand and lightning struck out at the young soldier, it sent him flying against a nearby tree. He could barely open his eyes now, he was slipping from reality. Malgus approached his broken body and raised his saber to end the boy's life. As his saber came down very close to the left side of Ardernus' face, another saber shot out from beside him to block the strike; the harsh heat still burnt Ardernus' face – he screamed in agony – but at least he was alive. The saber that blocked the shot however was also crimson.

"We don't kill children on the field; remember?" reminded Darth Kiberan to his sith partner in this particular venture. "We conscript them into our military—"

A wad of saliva struck Kiberan in the face – mixed with blood – and he wiped it off without saying a thing. He looked down at the boy that was leaning against the tree, "I'll never serve the Empire!" Kiberan looked as if he was considering what he had said for a moment; then he delivered his boot to the left side of Ardernus' face, his burnt face only burned more now.

"Take him in," he said to the other Imperial troops, "Malgus, I would like you to go left, I will go right and we will try to surround them." Malgus pointed directly at his face.

"Don't act like you can give ME orders!" Kiberan looked generally uninterested in his opinion.

"I requested something from you; I never gave you an order." Malgus just grunted and ordered his men to follow. Darth Kiberan ordered five of his men to stay behind and search the dead, as well as to guard the boy. After they had both left, Liam did not wait to act. He jumped down and ignited his blade into the back of one soldier and turned to slash another in the chest. One went to fire on Liam but Jorek came from behind him and divided the soldier's legs from his torso; he was using his green double-bladed saber. The other two were easily subdued with a quick force push into a tree. Liam rushed over to his fallen friend and was horrified with how his face looked. His blonde hair had been signed on one side and his the left half of his face was scarred beyond recognition; hopefully it would at least partially heal. Liam turned to see Jorek checking the body of Ardernus' father; he shook his head and closed the man's eyes.

Liam spoke "We need to get back and warn the base—"

A pain struck him in the head; not a physical pain, but the force trying to tell him something. He could sense that he need to follow where it led, when the pain was this unprecedented he couldn't refuse what it said.

"Take him back to the base and report what happened."

"Where are you going!?" yelled Jorek as Liam jumped up onto another tree.

"The force will guide me there…" and then he ran off without a word. Another hooded man was watching him from the trees, a man with a fire burning in his eyes.

"_and you shall lead ME there…_" he said through his cold mask.

* * *

Liam followed the source of the force energy straight to the cause. He perched himself on top of a tree and watched as his Master, Liamen, stood face to face with another sith, the same one that had saved Ardernus. They seemed to be having a conversation, not fighting, more of a very angry debate.

"That isn't a good enough reason to abandon the Order!" shouted Liamen at the man he once considered his brother.

"Power is the reason that living things do anything!" they circled around each other as they spoke; they obviously expected each other to draw their swords.

"You could still redeem yourself, Kiberan!"

_Kiberan! That was the name of Liamen's brother, but that isn't possible?_

Liam tried to fathom the situation but could not comprehend how such a fateful meeting could take place; the force had a role in this.

"How are your sons doing, hm? Oh, wait; I've already taken one from you!" he burst into maniacal laughter, but Liamen did not even flinch. _What sons?_ Wondered Liam.

"That was his choice!" he reasoned, "You did not TAKE him!"

Darth Kiberan ignited his lightsaber and fastened on his sith mask.

"Then I must take something from you," he pointed his blade at his brother, "how about your life?"

Master Liamen ignited his lightsaber also, "You cannot take what you cannot touch." Kiberan went into a rage, he flung slashes left and right, up and down trying to hit his brother; Liamen dodged every blow he tried to place on him. They battled for a time, they parried and blocked each other's shots with expert timing and never let a strike make contact. Eventually Kiberan made a footing error and received a slash from his brother's lightsaber to his elbow. Even with the durasteel plating he was still a man, and men were weak. His brains failed him and he had hoped his brawn would make up for that, it did not.

"Lord Kiber! To my aid!" he screamed into the forest; a man in black armor jumped out of the tree's canopy and landed in front of the Jedi master. He engaged both of his blades and held them pointing behind him in what was called a 'Sith Saber Shien'.

"Kiber?" questioned Liamen as he looked closer at the boy through the force, through his visor he could see the eyes of his son.

"_Kiberan told me everything._" He said through the voice changing vocabulator in his mask. He flung his blades around flashily and stopped in a battle stance, "_I will cover your escape, Master._"

"You won't have to…" said Kiberan. A ship appeared in the sky, and began to fire on Liamen. Liamen was strong, but to deflect the blaster bolts from a ship was difficult. The ships guns pushed him back inch by inch with each shot. Kiber and his master made off into the forest in the middle of the confusion; not even Liam noticed. The U shaped ship had to stop firing momentarily to adjust its sights, so Liamen took his chance. He reached up with the force using both hands; the ship stopped its swaying motion and hung in the air, completely still. Liamen brought his hands down, and the Starfighter went with them, straight down into the canopy; it exploded in numerous places and set the woods ablaze. Liamen turned to face Liam who was still up in the tree; maybe he HAD noticed him.

"We'd better leave…" he said.


	6. Bonds Severed, Lines Drawn

They reached Coruscant once again a few days later, they decided upon bringing Ardernus with them now that he was an orphan and had nowhere to go (the military couldn't take underage soldiers) and no one else would take him. He had still not woken up which was good because they would need to operate on him, he was in stasis right now. Liamen gave Liam a very stern talking to regarding disobeying orders from your master. When the shuttle had taken them back to the temple it was a refreshing site to see all of his friends; his family really. The temple felt like home and Liam hoped he would never have to leave it behind. He and Nakari kept Ardernus stable during the operation by using their force abilities; they were both practiced healers – Nakari more so than Liam. It was a gory sight to see them remove Ardernus' mangled eye and slowly replace it with a cybernetic replacement, it looked almost like an eye patch in a way. They were only partially able to reconstruct his face on the left; the right portion of his face was fine. The doctors told them after the operation that he would have a completely scarred left face for the rest of his life, but that he would have vision still. They could be happy about that, so Liam supposed.

Regardless of the verbal thrashing that his master had given Liam aboard the ship, the Council wished to commend him for his bravery on the field of battle. They awarded him and Jorek a medal each; it did not feel like much of a victory however, how could it be when his brother was still in the hands of those monsters. He went to bed that night trying not to think about it, but his mind could not avoid the truth.

* * *

"Master I could have killed him!" shouted Kiber angrily at Darth Kiberan who had just departed from the medical ward aboard his ship.

"You would have been killed you buffoon!" he calmed himself, "I'm sorry, I have not seen my brother for a long time, it brings back memories that I am not too fond of…"

"I understand your pain, Master." He was sincere about that.

"I know you do," he tussled his Nephew's hair; "you are in the same predicament as I." he began walking away, but then stopped. "Oh, and tomorrow we will be giving you your first sith tattoo; that will be fun!" he laughed. Kiber had a feeling in his gut that told him, no, it would not be fun.

* * *

For the next two years everything went on as it usually did for Liam, he forgot almost all about his brother; he tried not to let such venomous and negative thoughts linger for long in his head. He trained daily with his companions and life was going smoother than it had been before; they were happy. Liam was helped through the loss of his brother by the council; and his father – although he still did not know he was his father. Liamen was afraid of how he would react, or worse, if he would inform the council of his breaking of the code. Liam had passed the test to become a knight, and now he was awaiting his knighting ceremony. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kiber was being groomed for his place as a Dark Lord of the Sith; by groomed I mean he was going through rigorous and brutal training to prepare him for battle. Every day his anger and hatred for his master increased; he was a ruthless master indeed. He longed for the day when he could wipe the smug smile from the Darth's face. His master reasoned that he was a source of Kiber's anger, and therefore, his power, but if Kiber never killed him himself, would that anger never be sated, wouldn't he have an unlimited source of rage that would feed his dark force powers? He trained daily hoping one day that someone would come and free him from his master's grasp. He was a good trainer to be sure, but he was insufferable to be around. Kiber was powerful now, maybe even powerful enough to slay his own master…

* * *

3,653 BBY or 0 BTC, the day of 'The Sacking of Coruscant'…

It was the afternoon; the sun shone an orange aura over all of Galactic City. Liam remembered when he first saw colors, he was four when he finally gained the power of force vision, but it took many more years for him to train himself to see the individual colors of the Galaxy. He stood on the balcony overlooking the City and marvelled at the large structures that seemingly floated in the air; they were actually just up so high that you couldn't see the bottom. Nakari came out to the balcony to see if Liam was prepared for the ceremony; today he would become a Jedi knight.

"Are you ready?" she asked while staring down at his decorative white robes; however he still wore his informal metal eye coverings. She assumed he would want a more formal looking covering for the ceremony, but it would just feel too fake.

"I'm ready, I suppose…" he wasn't so sure about the ceremony, he was nervous and he was never good in large groups of people. "Yeah, yeah I'm ready." Just then he felt a disturbance in the force; far more intense than he thought he could ever feel, even as a Miraluka. Miraluka were automatically force sensitive and saw life through the force, they sensed everything that the force could show them if they tried hard enough to listen. This was a feeling of a penetrating darkness, looming overhead. _Overhead! The force wants me too…_ he looked up and saw a republic troop transport ship flying low and at a very fast speed, right towards the temple.

"What is that ship doing!?" asked Nakari; she was always in harmony with the force to such a degree, that Liam thought she might be part Miraluka.

"Liam!" yelled Master Liamen from down the hall.

"Yes, I sense it too!" he replied. The three of them ran down the hall and then down the stairs as fast as they could, many other Jedi joined them along the way. When they made it to the entrance hall of the Temple, they could see master Ven Zallow standing in front of a man who Liam could identify as none other than Darth Malgus; a Twi'lek woman with blue skin was with him. Many more Jedi jumped off of the balconies overlooking the entry hall and ignited their sabers before the Sith lord. The sensation of darkness became even more intense and then—

The ship Liam had seen, crashed through the walls and columns of the Jedi Temple, dismantling years of craftsmanship as it came to a fiery stop right behind Malgus; he seemed not to notice.

"Kiberan is on that ship!" said Liamen not to anyone in particular. The door to the inside of the sith's ship opened up, they could not see it but they could hear it, and then they could hear dozens of Lightsabers all being lit ablaze at once. Liamen jumped down onto the ground floor and ignited his own silver saber running towards Master Ven. A giant horde of sith warriors came around from the back of the ship and charged at the Jedi, numerous more Jedi joined the battle then. Lightsabers clashed and bolts of lightning flew through the air, but Liam could only sense one thing; his brother.

"Nakari!" he shouted behind himself over the racket of battle, "Go gather the younglings; and where is Ardernus!?"

"Right here master Jedi!" the soldier showed up behind him with his rifle in hand; he was outfitted in his new armor.

"Ardernus, I need you to get a ship ready, I'll send you a signal with this when I need pick up!" he threw a small computer chip looking device at the Vanguard, he caught it without effort.

"Roger!" and he ran off to the hangar. Nakari had already gone to gather the younglings from their rooms; they needed to be evacuated first. He had seen battle, but this was a massacre, the Jedi would be able to hold back the aggressors but not for long, he had to move NOW. He went to leave but saw out of the corner of his eye his Master fighting with Kiberan; he couldn't leave him to die.

* * *

"Are you afraid to fight me?" asked Kiberan as his brother kept backing up from his attacks; the Jedi master made a giant force leap onto the balcony above.

"No, I simply wish for you to duel me man to man." He replied tauntingly. The sith lord sneered through his mask and dropped his current red lightsaber. He reached down to his belt and grabbed his old Jedi saber, as he pressed the button to activate it a shining silver beam of light emerged from its hilt, just like his brother's. He jumped up after his brother and they continued duelling into the adjacent room. Liam followed after them by going down the adjacent hallway, so that they wouldn't see him. From the shadows of the battle emerged Lord Kiber, dressed in an armor that was still just as dark and menacing as his last suit of vibroweave.

"_I will be the perfect sith…_" he whispered to himself.

* * *

In the room that they had just stumbled into Liamen and Kiberan fought one on one, it would be to the death this time. Flurries of silver flashing light rang out through the room that had shadows cast darkly across it from the setting sun. Liam was off to the side by an archway, poking his head around the corner to watch. Suddenly Jorek appeared from the other side of the archway with a confused look on his horned head.

"What in the Kark is going on!?" he said loudly even though Liam had made a hand gesture telling him not to. Liamen looked over from the battle just for a split second; in that moment his brother flung his blade across the room and placed his own in Liamen's stomach. He made a gasping sound and then fell to the floor, seemingly dead.

"NOOOO!" Liam cried from his place at the Archway, he fell to his knees and Jorek simply stood there with his mouth gaped open in shock.

Kiberan began his triumphant walk over to his next victims "So… the prodigal son retur—"

"I still… have the… the force!" groveled Liamen on the floor. He had used his force power to drag his saber back towards him and to ignite it, impaling Kiberan in his chest. The lightsaber disengaged and Liamen pushed it over to Liam; it landed right under his bowed head, and a single tear fell onto the hilt.

"Take it… and leave… GO!" he hollered over the sounds of battle that were still audible. Liam's hand shook as it hovered over the silver saber and then he grabbed it. Kiberan stumbled back as he disconnected his sith mask from his face and it fell to the ground. He stumbled a bit further and then let his head fall into his brother's lap as he hit the ground; he laid there as his breaths became more and more shallow. He looked to his side and saw that his brother's hand was outstretched to him. Liamen had a wide smile on his face and it grew even larger as his brother cupped his hand in his, it was finally over; all of the pain and suffering the ideological divide had caused them.

"Goodbye…" said Liamen as his robes lightly fell to the ground with no body left in them; he had passed on, into the force. Kiberan lay there still, choking on his own blood.

"A Darth… no… more…" his head hit the floor; he was dead. Only before his death did he realize what the truth was, why he left the order in actuality. Kiber jumped down from the rafters above them and landed only a foot away from his master's body. He held out his hand and let his Uncle's lightsaber fly into his black gauntlet. He ignited it and then turned to his brother

"_So we meet again?_" he said with a laugh. Liam couldn't tell if it was his brother or not, it could not be however; Kiber was not this sinister looking or acting, never.

"Jorek! Go to the hangar and meet up with Ardernus, he'll get us outta here!" Liam didn't need to tell him twice, he ran down the hall like a flash of light. The masked Kiber came at him with his silver saber; so Liam ignited both his master's and his own. He blocked the attack from Kiber and then sent him stumbling back with a powerful force push. When Kiber regained his footing, he swore; his brother was nowhere to be found.

"_Kark it all! The Hangar!_" he got up off of the ground and went into a full on sprint down the stone corridors of the temple.

* * *

Liam had made it to the hangar and Nakari had gotten every youngling loaded up on a single 'Jedi Defender' starship. Ardernus was in the pilot seat and was ready to go. He waved at him and he waved back. Jorek returned with some surviving and injured Jedi and got them on the ship right away. Liam turned back to the door when he heard a crashing sound. It was Kiber and he was using the force to collapse the exits; there would be no escape for either of them. He turned back and signaled to Ardernus with his hands and screamed.

"GO, GO!" Ardernus did not argue even though Jorek was shaking Ardernus' shoulders and telling him not to leave Liam behind. Liam knew this was it, he had to face his destiny; he had to face his brother. Engine fuel had spilled from a container on the ceiling and made a pungent aroma of gas fill the room. He saw just as the ship flew off into the sky. He turned to see his brother lighting the fuel on the floor with his blade; fire from the gas lit the room ablaze. The temple was crumbling around them.

"Who are you!?" he still couldn't tell; the force was too hard to read right now.

"_Take an educated guess…_" he laughed under his breath.

"… Brother…" he was right; the sith disconnected his mask and put down his hood, as he threw his mask to the ground his sith tattoo was very visible. It was a tattoo that went across his face, mainly down his nose and spiked at his brow, he had these eyeliner looking parts to the tattoo sticking off the sides of his eyelids as well. It was a deep crimson.

"What set it off?" he asked sarcastically.

"You… you have changed… so much!" he meant for the worse, but Kiber seemed to take it as a compliment, as all sith did. He engaged both of his blades and got ready for the battle, Liam did the same.

"For the better, brother… for the better!" he lunged at Liam with his sabers pointed in all different directions as he twirled them around on his fingertips. Liam blocked as best he could and struck left and right trying to find an opening in his brother's defense. The room was getting warmer by the second and one wall had been totally engulfed in the flames. They jumped around and changed battle stances in the giant arena that was the hangar, trying to throw each other off balance. Kiber pushed his brother's sabers downwards and force pushed him away instead of slashing him like one would expect.

"Join me!" he said, "Join me and we can rule the Galaxy; we are two of the strongest Force Empaths known to anyone! We could overthrow the Emperor!" Liam could nearly not believe what he was hearing.

"Why would I ever join you!?"

"Because you crave power, and…" he hesitated and then smiled, a stone pillar collapsed behind him, "Forbidden knowledge…" he let out a small chuckle.

Liam didn't need the force to know he was inferring something, "What do you mean?"

"Do you want to know why you and Master Liamen were always so close, and why you had the same name?"

"Miraluka always feel a sense of Brotherhood for one another, he was my brother at heart! And Liamen is a common Cor—"

"Common corellian name blah, blah, blah!" he mocked, "you really are quite daft brother." Liam still couldn't get inside of his brother's head; what was he trying to say?

"You know the sith that killed Liamen?" Liam slowly nodded yes, "He was also my Uncle; I'll let you do the math…" neural receptors began to light up and connect in Liam's brain; he connected all the information he ever knew about Liamen, about Kiberan… it all made sense, but he still could not accept it.

"No…" he whimpered as tears ran out from under his eye socket's covering, "No, no, no, no, no, no…" he kept repeating the word over and over in his head and on his tongue.

"I would not lie to you like this brother!" Kiber said in a powerful voice, "Oh, and here's another revelation, we have TWO more brothers, HA!" Liam was still repeating the same words in his head, over and over.

"I cannot accept all of that; I don't even want to be related to YOU! How can I handle being related to Kiberan?" something snapped in Kiber just then. He just said, that he, didn't want to be, his… brother. Kiber had never felt so alone in his life, he had always felt a connection to his brother, an emotional connection, but that was gone now. Nothing of the old Kiber remained now; he was literally but a shadow of his former self.

"You don't have to be related to me…" he said as a lone tear made its way down his face, "I can make it so you are no longer related to anyone!" he charged at his brother with both sabers sprawled out behind him as he ran with his arms spread wide. Liam unleashed his full anger; he tried to control it, but it wouldn't help. They clashed and locked their sabers against one another's.

"NOW YOU SEE THE POWER OF THE DARK SIDE!" screamed Kiber right in his brother's face; from here Liam could see that his brother's eyes were a sickly sith looking yellow and red. He pushed to break away from the sword lock, and flipped around to land behind his brother. They lashed out at one another again, red, blue and silver flashes of light were overpowered by the glowing orange color of the flames.

"The dark side has no TRUE power!" shouted Liam over the crackling of the flames and the clashing of their sabers, "It is a short cut to power, but every short cut eventually gets over-used!" he flicked his blue saber around to his left but Kiber blocked it, so he flipped his arms to the other side for a double strike, but his strike was parried upwards and he had to force kick Kiber in order to not meet his blades. He pushed off of his brother's face with his foot and landed two feet away. Kiber stumbled back and Liam tried to take a shot at him, but he did a single somersault backwards and then landed on his rump while shooting lightning from his fingertips. Liam blocked the electric assault with his sabers, but both of them grew tired. Kiber scrambled to his feet and ran at his brother while he was still recovering from the lightning attack. Liam used his force sight, his only advantage in this seemingly equal battle, and he saw an opening. He slashed down, cutting the red saber in half; while Kiber was flinching from the astonishment of the attack, Liam sliced with his other saber, taking off Kiber's hand. He then ducked and took off his left leg with a single sweeping motion. The sith fell to the ground and cried out in agony.

"You bastard!" he said looking up at his brother and grabbing at his heels with his one remaining hand, "I'll KILL YOU!" Liam felt sorry for his brother, but only for a moment; he would not show such weakness in front of a sith. The ceiling around them began to collapse. Liam reached into his pocket and produced a computer chip looking device, he pressed the button on it, and waited.

"Goodbye… Brother…" he began walking to the edge of the hangar where the hangar doors were already opened, waiting for a ship to dock. The ship Ardernus was piloting finally showed up and put down its entry ramp. Liam clambered onto the ship, but looked back one more time to see his brother cursing at him in every language he could think of. He looked away and got on the ship; they escaped Coruscant just before the empire had locked the planet down.

* * *

The smoke had begun to clear and the fires had burned down to cinders, Liam was gone and Kiber sat in the middle of the crumbling hangar; he considered his current path in life, and then decided against such thoughts. He was lucky to be alive he supposed, he should be a charred corpse right now, but the only burns he had were on his stumps. Suddenly the rubble blocking the entrance was forced forward with a force push and Kiber heard a familiar voice.

"Find Him! He is essential!" it was Artumez! He heard footsteps as a soldier kneeled down to look at him.

"_Sir, I think I found him!_"

"Oh, thank the emperor!" he grabbed Kiber and put him on a stretcher, it began hovering its way out into the main chamber. As he hovered through the entry hall, he could see the destruction, the mayhem that the sith had caused. A small part of him wondered if it was worth it, another part didn't care; he just wanted power beyond measure.

* * *

Aboard the Jedi Defender that had just escaped from the orbit of Coruscant, many panicked younglings were being comforted by the adults who had made it on board. Nakari almost made Liam jump out of his robes when she grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. He had no time to react when she embraced him in a hug; bigger than a friend would give. She collected herself and made a more serious face.

"What happened out there?" she said sounding concerned.

"I'll explain later…" he walked up to the cockpit, "Ardernus, take us to Tython." And then before they knew it they were in Hyperspace, on their way to the ancestral home of the Jedi order…

End of Prologue…


	7. The Scoundrel and the Beast

A Long time ago in a Galaxy, far, far away…

STAR WARS:

Emotion, Yet Peace

Liam and his friends had made it to Tython after a long trip through Hyperspace; everyone was still tired and weak from the battle the day before. As they put the ship down in an ancient temple hangar on the forgotten planet, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Liam had been told about the planet by his father – he still was not used to calling him that – and he had told him to follow Satele's quick made hyperlane route that she would inevitably create if the planet was in trouble. This was one of those days, and luckily the coordinates that Ardernus had punched in, had worked. As the ramp to the ship went down, they were welcomed with an ancient broken hangar taken over by overgrown vegetation and small mammals and reptiles. In the next few weeks that came, the Jedi began to rebuild on their ancestral soil; many Jedi had made it back with them but just as many had died in the battles that took place that day. The temple was not yet fully restored to its ancient force-bound glory, but it was a start. He only hoped that they could restore the planet into a workable home for the new Jedi order.

* * *

After Kiber had been taken by evac-shuttle to a nearby destroyer-class frigate, they began work on his cybernetic limbs. He screamed and groaned as the needled pierced his burnt flesh and he was forced to accept the pain. He reasoned with himself to make the pain less so. He reminded himself of the order that he would create under his rule over the empire, sand someday he would have the empire; he was sure of it. He had many enemies to surpass, and one or more of his future apprentices would most likely try to kill him. He would wring the necks of all who opposed him; he had no time to be fair, there would be time for that once he was in total control. A sharp pain took him from his thoughts and placed him back into his agonizing reality as the limbs forcefully connected to his raw tissue. As his nerves connected to the artificial nerves of his new prosthesis the discomfort was extreme. After an hour of rest he awoke to look at his new hand with intense curiosity, he could move it like a normal hand, and he could feel it moving jut as if it was the real thing. He felt whole again and that meant that he needed to get to training.

* * *

3651 BBY or 2 ATC…

The Jedi who had survived the brutal battles of Coruscant were commended for the courage that they had presented upon the field of war. Liam had gotten the same commendation, and then his knighting ceremony came only a few days later; it was more of a mock-up ceremony than anything. None the less he had become a full-fledged Jedi. Better yet, he was allowed to keep his father's old lightsaber…

Two years had passed now, and Liam was eighteen Republic standard years old. The foliage of Tython was beautiful all year long, and even as he walked down these now familiar pathways he still wondered at the beautiful alien flowers that grew upon the moss covered trees of the forest. They hadn't had a flesh-raider attack in more than a week, so by their standards everything was good. Liam was on his way to the nearby Twi'lek pilgrims' settlement when Jorek came running towards him.

"Wait up!" he yelled through the forest, scaring some of the birds in the process. He came to a halt beside Liam, "Do you not have your holocom on you?" he asked; Liam turned to see the Zabrak with beads of sweat running down his face.

"No; what's wrong?" he asked, hopefully nothing was wrong.

"I don't think anything's wrong," his breathing returned to its usual pace, "but the council wanted to see you and Nakari; she is already waiting for you beside the entrance to the council room." This was unexpected.

"I will go immediately, thank you for finding me Jor'." He gave his friend a heavy hand shake and walked off back towards the temple with his hands behind his back.

* * *

The temple was only half way finished in its restoration. The temple would look beautiful when it is finished; Liam just hoped that he would be here to see it completed. It was a nice change from Coruscant to be sure; metal and holograms were replaced by soil and trees. He stepped up the steps approaching the temple and waved at the Jedi that he passed. He thought that maybe the more natural feel of Tython had made most of the Jedi more calm and kind than the steel pillars of Coruscant had. He walked through the archway into the temple and made his way up the half completed grand staircase that lead to the level of the temple that the Council had taken for their… counselling. Nakari was leaning beside the door to the Council chambers; she did not look impressed. She walked over to Liam with her silver eyes shimmering in the light from the skylight.

"Where were you?" she asked sternly with her arms crossed. Liam put his hood up and tried to serious himself up for his meeting with the masters.

"I was out for a stroll; I was GOING to go talk to the locals." He gestured with his hand to the east, where the Pilgrims encampment was. She still held an expression of dissatisfaction.

"You should have taken your holocom along." She swiped her hand through the air and the door to the Council's chambers opened. She walked in as her long white robes trailed behind her; she put her own hood up as well. Liam wore some very extravagant robes that he had the armorer make for him. They were battle robes, heavy leather was cured in a liquid to make it pliable and then it was wrapped around his arms and legs (It almost resembled mummification). His armor was covered with a brown and white robe; the sleeves only reached up to his elbows; his hands were covered with hard leather gauntlets and they were coated with a metal on the palms and inside of the fingers that could deflect a lightsaber or Vibrosword strike. Hard leather spaulders protected his shoulders and the collar of his robe hung down low from his neck. There were many layers to his outfit and when he stopped using the force to ward off the heat, it would get quite stuffy. On his waist sat his two Lightsabers, his father's silver bladed saber that shone like the fountains in the courtyard; the other was a custom built saber that held in it a light blue crystal. They approached the masters as they sat down in a circle; they still did not have any chairs or tables in the room so they sat on the floor. Liam had to admit, for a floor it was relatively comfortable.

"Nice of you to join us…" badgered Master Satele Shan; a direct relative of both Bastille Shan and the legendary Darth Revan.

Liam bowed before them and Nakari followed suit; her silvery shoulder length hair fell downwards with the gravity of Tython as she tilted her body.

"What is it you wished to see us for, Masters?" the human master, Orgus Din, turned to face them and spoke.

"We have an assignment for you two." He said.

As a result of Nakari's upbringing, she replied headstrong, "I'm sure that whatever it is, we'll get it done!" Orgus din looked at all of the other masters and they nodded at him.

"This… isn't a normal assignment; it will take a lot of dedication from both of you." Nakari seemed undeterred, and so was Liam.

"If we have anything to spare," Liam spoke, "its dedication, master." Satele giggled a little before collecting herself.

"Have you two ever considered becoming 'Jedi Watchmen'?" she asked; Liam raised his brow but no one could see it from under his metal eye-cover.

"Yes, but what is this about?"

"We need someone to watch over the planet of 'Tatooine', but the people there are far too hostile a bunch for one Jedi to handle alone—"

Master Orgus interrupted, "Especially those 'Sand People'!"

"Um… yes he is right, you will have to be careful of them." She finished and let the two of them to stand there and reflect upon it.

"Why us?" Nakari asked.

"It was an obvious choice," explained Satele, "you two have always worked very well together." Liam considered that for a moment. Alone in a barren wasteland with Nakari; it didn't matter who he was with, it would still be horrible. But this was the life of a Jedi, and becoming a Watchman was a very honourable position.

"We'll do it!" said Liam without noting how his friend may feel about it. She retained her cool exterior.

"Good, we'll set you up with a transport right away!" said Satele happily, but Liam held up his hand as she went to stand up.

"I already have transport," said Liam, Nakari appeared confused, "but I would like to request some credits," he began twiddling his thumbs, "… lots of… Credits."

* * *

After an hour of convincing, and a few promises being made; Liam walked out of the Chamber with a credit chip worth over 500, 000 Republic Dactaries! Nakari had waited outside while he convened with the council about the arrangement, and he promised he would explain later. He had been searching every day since the battle on Coruscant, searching for at least one of his brothers. When Kiber had told him about their two other brothers, he swore he would be reunited and now he had a way of doing it. He had found information on a Smuggler named Lymathe, and after hacking numerous personal information sites on the Holonet he found a sample of the man's DNA; it was a match. From tracking his ships records, he could tell that Lymathe was going to be sitting around the Republic command station above Coruscant for a week. Unfortunately there was only one way to arouse this Smuggler's interests; Republic Credits. Usually passage on a vessel would cost around 5,000 credits per person, but he didn't just want a transport.

"Come on!" he called to Nakari, "We need to get moving, I'll explain along the way!"

* * *

Ardernus had taken them by ship to the Space station that orbited above the planet Coruscant; Liam's home planet, the place where the Jedi SHOULD be, but the republic was delicate right now and they had no desire to welcome them back to their world. They departed the ship and watched as he flew away, dodging around the fleet that guarded the giant station. They grabbed their small amounts of luggage and took the elevator up to the cantina where Lymathe was sure to be waiting. As they exited the lift they were surprised to see that they were not the only Jedi here. Jedi, troopers, smugglers and bounty hunters that decided to side with the republic for whatever reason. People chatted and ate, danced and sang in the dim light of the cantina. Liam held up his hand to let Nakari know that he was trying to concentrate. It was hard to hear anything when there were so many voices in the force, too many Jedi. He sensed his long lost brother through the crowds and through the force; he was on the lower level of the cantina. Liam began to walk and Nakari followed him as they made their way down the stairs and into an even darker area of the bar. At the VIP table sat a man in a classic Smuggler's jacket, it was Blue and white with a brown undercoat, and had a collar covered in exotic furs. There was a very large Wookiee beside him, with dark brown fur and a more lightly colored face. The Wookiee roared as the two Jedi approached the table.

"Look, I'm not accepting any contracts right now…" said the Smuggler lazily; he had a scar across his right eye, but he did not appear blind. As well he had a small pointed goatee on his otherwise clean shaven chin. "Go find some other scoundrel…" Liam took the credit chip from his pocket and passed it to the smuggler, who caught it without effort. He looked at the credit chip with wide eyes and then back at his new best friends.

"This could set us up for life!" he said, "Goddamn! Pull up a seat, both of ya'!" the two Jedi happily obliged and each grabbed a nearby chair with the force and proceeded to sit across the table from Lymathe.

"Who's the walking carpet?" asked Nakari. The Wookiee growled at her again but she didn't seem to notice.

"This Wook' here is my good friend 'Bruudar'!" he patted his Wookiee friend on his furry shoulder.

Bruudar let out a roar of agreement in his native language.

Liam smiled, "He seems friendly enough." He said.

"The friendliest Wookiee this side of the unknown regions!" he clasped his hands together and looked at his employer, "What's the job, boss?"

"We need a ride to Tatooine first, so I'll brief you on the way there." He answered. The smuggler pocketed his credits.

"Fair enough," he turned his head toward his big hairy friend, "Broo', show 'em to the ship, I'll be down soon." The Wookiee roared again and got up out of his seat, he offered to take Nakari's and Liam's luggage.

"Thank you, but we'll be fine." Assured Liam, the Wookiee shrugged and told them to follow.

* * *

When they walked into the smuggler's personal hangar, the ship that stood before them brought a look of disgust to Nakari's face; likewise, it put an expression of excitement onto Liam's face.

"Is that an XS-stock Light Freighter!?" he asked the Wookiee. Bruudar roared confirmation in the Wookiee language.

"What do you know about starships?" asked Nakari, "And since when do you speak Wookiee!?" Liam spun to see the Echani with a confused and disgusting look on her face still, "And how can you be excited about… that!?" she pointed at the freighter with its paint chipped and its windows dirty from space travel. Liam ignored her.

"What's her name?" Liam asked, so Bruudar told him. "The _Merchant's Menace _huh? I like it."

Lymathe came out of the elevator running at a full sprint with his pilots cap on and a mask covering his lower face. He looked concerned to be sure.

"Bruudar!" he called to the other smuggler, "Get the ship hot, I just pissed off the wrong people!"

Liam looked confused now, "What!? What do you mean you pissed someone off!?"

"What do you think smart one!? Get on the Karkin' ship!" Liam and Nakari decided that right now was not the best time to be arguing so they followed the Wookiee smuggler aboard the _Merchant's Menace_. The elevator opened up again and a trio of Trandoshans stepped out with blaster rifles in their big scaly mitts. The scoundrel Lymathe whipped out his custom made blaster pistol and let off a shot which barely missed the lead Trandoshan. The smuggler began running backwards toward the ship while letting off pot-shots at his assailants. Liam could hear the loading ramp close and then the heavy steps of the captain running toward the cockpit of his ship. Bruudar sat in the Co-pilot's seat and shooed away the two Jedi when his captain arrived to sit in his own seat.

"Let's rock n' roll!" he activated the turrets on his ship and let off three warning shots at his pursuers; they turned tail and ran. "Ha, Ha, run you cowards!" he pulled up on his controls and the freighter slowly ascended into the air and then out into open space. The smuggler turned to Bruudar. "Broo' punch it!" the Wookiee pulled a lever on the roof console above him and in just a few seconds they were in hyperspace. Lymathe sat back in his seat and breathed a sigh of relief. Bruudar roared a job well done.

"Now," said Liam, "I need to talk to you about why I needed YOU as my pilot and no one else; Is there anywhere on the ship we can talk privately?"


	8. Little Slave Girl and The Sands

Kiber sat behind his Uncle's desk; he had no more need for it, being dead and all. He was dressed in his 'Darth' armor that he made to custom fit only him, it came along with an equally intimidating mask. He never noticed his cybernetic limbs anymore either, they were the perfect replacements. He sat with his hand in support of his head, slouching leisurely over the side of his 'Throne' of steel and fabric.

"_Explain to me again,_" he said in a very intimidating voice (after so long on Korriban he now also had a thick Imperial accent), "_what EXACTLY happened over Hoth with MY fleet of ships under YOUR command?_" the officer that stood before him was trembling in his boots, when he had signed onto the military he had never expected this kind of pressure from his superiors.

"Th-Th-They were not under my command, my Lord!"

"_Oh!_" replied Darth Kiber in an almost cheery voice, "_Well, if you would be so kind as to deliver unto me, the commander of those vessels, I would be very grateful…_" he wasn't asking, he was demanding in a polite manner.

"Right away, my Lord!" the officer ran off and then returned a minute later with the general of Kiber's fleet behind him.

He stepped up to Darth Kiber's desk with the utmost courage; he was an older gentleman, "I take full responsibility, my L- ochk-ck-k-k-k-k-k!" Kiber raised his glove and began contracting his hand inwards, crushing the man's throat slowly with the force.

"_I do not accept excuses,_" he said, "_when they involve the reason that my apprentice is now dead!_" the general persisted in trying to free himself to explain his failure to Kiber; Kiber would not have it. He scoffed and then contracted his cupped hand into a fist, killing the man with a *Crack* from his neck. The general fell to the hard metal floor with a thud and the other officer cringed, but remained mostly unmoving. Kiber slowly arose from his seat and walked to the man's body; he gave it a slight nudge and then continued down the steps. He approached the other officer and looked him dead in the eyes. A single bead of sweat dropped from his pale face.

"_My apprentice is dead because of him,_" he gestured toward the former general, "_Do not make the same mistake, General…_"

The officer – now 'General' – gave him a salute, "Thank you, my Lord!" his lip quivered as he tried to keep his cool under the Darth's watchful eye. He turned on a dime and made his way out into the hall. Kiber would have to find a new apprentice… perhaps Darth Artumez could assist him?

* * *

"How can I be sure you're tellin' the truth?" asked Lymathe to Liam. They were convening in Lymathe's bedroom, as he said it was the only truly 'Private' place in the ship. Liam shook his head in disappointment, how hard was it for this man to understand?

"Add up all of the facts in your head! Heck, I even look like you!" Lymathe took a closer look at the Jedi; he was right, Lymathe actually did look like him.

"Ok," Liam thought he was finally getting somewhere, "Let's say for a sec' that I believe you…" he stared at his employer for a moment and then continued, "What are you hiring us – mainly ME – for?" Liam looked down at the ship's floor and let out a breath.

"I want you – and even your friend if he so wishes – to come to Tatooine with me and Nakari, we have been tasked with watching over the planet and therefore guarding its indigenous species which means—"

"Oh, no, no, no, no; I am not going NEAR any sand people!" he called out for the whole galaxy to hear. Liam put his hand under his mask and rubbed his functionless eye lids in frustration.

"I can keep them at bay with the force, I promise!" Lymathe backed against the wall and rubbed his face with both of his hands; he seemed to be considering it.

"Okay, I believe you are my brother, but… Sand people!?"

"I promise it won't be that bad…"

Lymathe considered for a second once more, "Fine; family discount I guess…"

* * *

Kiber walked down the halls of the Sith Academy of Korriban, it gave him time to think. Pickings for a new apprentice would be slim because of all of the big time Dark Lords coming to Korriban this time of year to pick their own apprentices; being eighteen didn't help his case much either; the Empire was indeed an Old-boys club. He heard an almost 'Cute' shriek from his left. He stopped and turned towards the prison block; he heard a shock and then another of the same shriek. He made his way down the hall and then turned into the prison room. In a Cage sat a Twi'lek with light-blue skin and long Lekku that reached all the way to her lower back. She had a shock collar on and the prison guard was making her beg for mercy; she wouldn't however. Sith tried not to listen to the force; it was their tool not the other way around; but this was different. He could sense that this girl would play a role in his future, she couldn't have been much older than him though – if not younger than him; how important could she be? None the less, he approached the guard and shoved him aside.

"My… my lord!" he stuttered with the remote for the collar quivering in his hands; Kiber snatched it and pressed the deactivation button. It fell to the ground.

"Aw…" teased the Twi'lek, "and I was just having fun!" she smiled a fake smile and then turned to the guard, "Knowing how the Sith are: I hope he kills you!" she said angrily. Kiber waved his hand to attract her attention.

"_What is your name, Twi'lek?_" the girl looked surprised, as if he said something wrong.

"No one around here has ever called me anything but… Slave."

"_Your Name!?_" he demanded, she jumped a bit.

"… Yeah, my name is… Lynaree…" she looked like she had no more energy left to joke around.

"_You are in no fit condition to be in a cell, and I have need of you,_" he used his mastery of the force to unlock the gate without a key, "_you shall come with me, or stay here and die_."

"Ooh hoo, hoo!" said the guard, "you sure know how to pick 'em Darth—"

The man was met with the back of Kiber's hand; he was knocked unconscious.

"Better than staying here, I guess…" Lynaree stepped slowly out of the cage and Kiber took her hand; what could Kiber say? He may be a sith now but old habits never change, and one of them for him was chivalry.

"_I shall call you Lyn for simplicities sake_." He told her this and she dared not argue with a Sith.

"Sure thing, your… Sith-ieness?" Kiber couldn't help but laugh. He took off his mask and hung it on his belt.

"You're silly, you know that?" she simply gazed at his face and it took her awhile to get a grip on reality.

"You're pretty cute…" she quickly amended her statement, "I mean… for a sith; for a sith you look… cute…" he had no interest in her like that; at least he didn't think so – regardless he dodged her compliment (unintended or not). She followed him up to his room and they sat down by a small coffee table, two very comfortable chairs sat side by side next to it.

"Okay, let's get one thing straight." She said, Kiber knew exactly what she meant so he stopped her right there.

"I'm not interested in you; not in that way." She let out a sigh of relief and grabbed her cup of fizzade, a Coruscanti soft-drink. He was trying to figure out a way that he could explain to her why he freed her.

"have you heard of the force?" he asked.

She laughed and turned to him, "What, are you trying to convert me or something?"

"Ha, funny," it was not funny, "I meant do you know what it is?" she nodded while setting down her drink.

"Yeah."

"Well," he gathered all of his willpower so as to not get frustrated if she did not understand, "The force can talk to the sith, and Jedi, and give us a sort of… 'Gut-feeling' telling us to do something." She just continued to stare at him blankly.

"The force told me to free you…" he said.

"So… that's why you freed me?"

"I'm a sith; there always has to be an ulterior motive to EVERYTHING that we do." He tried to make himself sound selfish; it was better than sounding soft.

"Well… either way I'm still free." She pursed her lips in thought and looked to her side. "So what now?" awkward.

Kiber did not actually know what was next, but he knew one thing, "My name is 'Darth Kiber', it is a pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand. She giggled a bit.

"I think I'll just call you Darth, or Darthie, or Sith-Face, or maybe just Kiber?"

"Kiber will be fine," he laughed a bit. Then suddenly in his mind he remembered, he needed a new co-pilot now that his apprentice was dead, he was always his co-pilot, "Do you know how to fly a ship?" he asked her. She turned and smiled; just an inch.

"Yeah, why?"

He smiled back and then put on his mask with a *Tshhhh* sound, like steam being condensed, "_Come with me…_" he said.

* * *

The Merchant's Menace was still in hyperspace, and it would at least take another hour to safely emerge from it and then land at the busy spaceport on Tatooine. Lymathe sat in his chair, leaned back and twirling his pistol around in his hands. His Wookiee friend Bruudar sat in a laid back position with his hairy paws placed behind his head. The ship rattled slightly when it was in hyperspace, but all in all, it was a well put together vessel. Liam spent a lot of his time examining the ships many parts, so he was rarely bored. He had not expected Lymathe to accept that he was his brother so quickly, but he supposed that he should be thankful that it hadn't gone on for much longer, lest he lose his sanity. The ship had a few comfy beds at least; that's where Nakari was, reading a book she had picked up at the spaceport before they left the orbit of Tython. Liam wondered how Ardernus was doing, and Jorek too; he was sure that all would be fine with him not around. Liam was walking through the lounge area of the ship when Lymathe came from out of the cockpit.

"I need to ask a few questions." He said as he was still whipping his blaster around in his left hand, and then his right, and back again.

"Sure thing," he replied, "about what?" Lymathe put his pistol in its holster and sat down on a nearby couch.

"What exactly is the plan once we land?" he asked. Liam hadn't thought that far ahead yet. The job of a watchmen was to watch over a planet and keep peace between its people; he doubted that would be an easy job with the sand people. Perhaps he could find a way to communicate with them; he had studied much of their language in his spare time, and the force could definitely help with communication.

"You three will stay on the ship while I go out to a local sand person settlement; you'll have to land near one because I'm not walking for 60 miles."

"Just buy a speeder."

"With what money!?" he gestured towards Lymathe, implying the money he had could be put to good use right now.

"Okay… we'll land near a settlement, your majesty!" he got up off of the couch and walked back into the cockpit.

* * *

"_This is her._" proclaimed Kiber as he gestured towards his Fury-Class Sith-Interceptor. Lynaree looked absolutely cheer filled.

"Son-ova-Murglak!" she exclaimed, "This ship is incredible!"

Kiber took off his mask again, "and this is just the outside." He said. He waved his hand through the air and the ramp to the ship fell down, "After you." He motioned. She did not need to be told twice, she ran up to the ship and clambered up the ramp. Kiber leisurely followed after her. The inside of the ship was very monochrome, no colour aside from some red here and there. Most, if not everything was made of steel and durasteel.

"I think I'm in love with your ship." She said ecstatically. Darth Kiber just leaned against the wall of his ship and watched her run around looking at every single detail the vessel had to offer. She was an odd one so he thought; no doubt about that.

"How would you like to be my co-pilot?" he asked her. She turned and gave him the weirdest look possible.

"Okay; what kind of a sith saves a girl from slavery and then offers her, her dream job?"

"I do!" he said angrily, "Will you accept my offer or not!?" Kiber was fast to lose his patience. She put up her hands and began waving them furiously.

"Fine, fine! I'll take the job!"

"How good are you with a blaster by the way?" he asked as he stepped towards her with his arms folded impatiently. She scoffed.

"I can fire two at once as a matter of fact; accurately too." That was a plus Kiber supposed.

"Then I shall have to procure two blasters for you."

"Wait… really!?"

"Yes," he said, "Why not?"

"I… never mind." Kiber had a sneaking suspicion that he wouldn't have to buy her new weapons.

"you should go get your weapons from the prison…" he recommended. She replied quickly.

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

* * *

"We're here!" announced Captain Lymathe from his cockpit. Liam and Nakari both dropped what they were doing and ran to the control room. Nakari had a disappointed look on her face when she saw the planet; she had known it would be a barren wasteland but…

"Is THAT Tatooine?" she pointed; Bruudar gave a roar of confirmation.

"What's wrong," asked Lymathe, "you too high-class for this place?"

"No…" she said. She didn't want to be known as a complainer for the rest of the stay here; it would be a very long stay. Liam stared down at the planet, it was an interesting planet to be sure; not a spec of water on it.

"when we get closer I want you to fly low until we find a sizable sand person settlement." Lymathe gave him a look.

"I don't know… I said I would go along but…" he turned around and let the Wookiee take control, "This seems pretty risky?"

"I won't lie to you—"

"I'd prefer if you did."

"This will be dangerous, but if it comes to violence then I will be able to protect your escape." Liam said. Lymathe did not seem very reassured.

"Whatever; Broo' set us down when you find a sandy settlement." Bruudar bellowed a roar and continued to fly down to the planet.

* * *

Eventually they had found a settlement. It was average size, so there couldn't be too many warriors to handle if they attacked; Liam just hoped that these creatures knew reason. He had heard rumors of the famous Jedi knight Revan who had infiltrated a sand person settlement and was treated remarkably well by them. Liam hoped that they would have such luck, but there was no such thing as luck. Lymathe would probably argue against that however. Bruudar sat the ship down a half mile away from the small village; most sand people were nomadic, but this settlement seemed to be permanently placed in the sand covered rocks. Liam stepped down the loading ramp and waved to the ship as he walked across the ten thousand grains; a giant dune of ever shifting sand. The sunlight was harshly projected from Tatooine's two suns. He walked all the way to the settlement, keeping his temperature at a steady level using the force. As he approached the settlement's gates he called out to the natives in their foreign tongue with all of the phlegm he could gather.

"_Aargh! Eyaak urk, urk!_" suddenly a group of sand people popped out from behind their hastily built walls and another burst through the front gates. "_Ru Rah, Ru Rah!_" the sand people slowly lowered their weapons, but some remained raised out of a natural xenophobia. In essence what he had said was 'Greetings! I mean you no harm!' and 'I come in peace!', obviously they at least slightly respected him for being able to speak their native tongue or he would be dead right now. Unfortunately those few words were the only fluent words of their language that he could speak. He would have to rely heavily on the force now. He called out through the force to their leader; or who he thought was their leader.

_Can you hear me_, he spouted in their native tongue. The chieftain – identifiable by his fancy head dress – nodded. _Good_.

The chief replied to him in his own language, but when it reached Liam's ears it sounded like pure basic. _What do you want, outsider!?_

_I wish to convene with you_, the chief seemed to consider this for a moment, and then spoke back.

_I will allow this, but you must have a good reason for this intrusion!_

* * *

After just a few minutes Lynaree finally had all of her equipment back; at first Kiber was not sure if he could trust her while she had a weapon, but he would have sensed betrayal in her thoughts long ago. They were hovering in space above Korriban now, and Darth Kiber had decided to contact his former peer and fellow apprentice to Kiberan; Darth Artumez. He loomed over the holocom in the middle of the ship and it came to life with the flickering blue image of a Pure-blooded sith in the excessively over decorated robes of the sith assassin.

"_Darth Kiber!_" he said with open arms, "_I heard about the incident over Hoth, I'm sorry to hear about your apprentice._"

"Forget about him," said Kiber, "I need to find a NEW apprentice…"


	9. The Tribe and The Apprentice

Liam was escorted in through the gates and watched as the warriors of the tribe gathered around and then sat in the shape of a circle on the sand. One of the guards gestured for him to sit and so he crossed his legs and sat across from the chieftain.

_Why have you come here!?_ Demanded the Chief in a very phlegm filled voice.

_I am from a great tribe of outworlders, we wish to make peace with you and I and my friends would be your ambassadors._ The chief made a few inaudible honks and then stood up, stamping his Gaffi-stick into the sand.

_And what would be advantageous to us in this arrangement?_

Liam looked up at the sand person and pointed to the east. _You have many enemies in that direction, _he said, _perhaps I could commune with them and make peace?_

The chief appeared almost offended. _They are intruders upon our sacred land! Why should we tolerate them!?_

Liam stood and walked into the middle of the circle; a brave move in a sand person village, but usually fatal. _You could either make peace, or let them destroy you with their advanced weaponry._

The chieftain looked now as if he was considering his proposal; Liam only hoped that he was. _Can you also trade for us?_ He asked.

Liam nodded his eyeless head.

_Then I, as current chieftain, will allow this! Bring your friends here so that they may be examined!_

Liam breathed a sigh of relief, _I thank you and I shall return_, and then he ran off back into the sands.

* * *

"_I think I may have a suitable candidate for you…_" Artumez said; he was sitting in his comfy chair back in his office on Dromund Kaas. Darth Kiber sat on his couch across from the holocom in the main area of his ship; Lyn appeared from around the corner with a bag of something.

"And who might that be?" he asked; Lynaree sat down beside him and opened the bag of chips; she offered some to him. He declined. Artumez had a look of confusion on his face.

"_Who is she?_" he asked. Kiber looked at Lyn and then back to the hologram.

"My co-pilot." He said.

"_Ah, you know how to pick 'em…_" he let out a slight chuckle and went back to the subject at hand. "_His name is Olvan-Ral, he is a Draethos._" Kiber knew of the Draethos, a blue and/or pink skinned race from the planet Thosa; very noticeable by their overly large front teeth that remained outside of their lipless mouths just below their nostrils at all times. They were a war-like race as well, so that boded well in Kiber's favor of having a strong apprentice.

"You mean the telepaths?" asked Kiber.

"_Yes, those are the ones; he has been training for quite some time on his home planet of Thosa; he is still waiting for a master to take him._"

"Then it is the perfect time," said Kiber as he stood up from his seat, "Lyn, prep the engines. Set a course for Thosa." He turned back to the holocom one more time. "Where will I find him?" he asked Artumez.

"_At a bar – I'll send you the coordinates – he spends his nights there drinking away his woes._"

"Roger that, Darth Kiber; out!" he deactivated the communicator and rushed into the cockpit where Lyn was ready to get moving.

"I've punched in the coordinates to both the planet and the bar, boss." Kiber was actually impressed.

"You may have already earned a raise," he sat down in his captain's chair and took the helm, "let's get a move on then." He pulled a lever on the ceiling above him and they flew off into hyperspace.

* * *

They arrived on Thosa not more than a few days later; it was a barren planet with hardly any forested regions and a very Xenophobic people. Kiber knew right from the start that he would not be getting a warm reception on the racist planet; they had only a few spaceports for their rare dealings with extraterrestrials. They landed their ship and then had to go through a very annoying processing area. These people were not going to be overly friendly, but if they tried to mock him, or use his race as a negative trait; he would not hesitate to kill them – he could take on an army if he needed to. Lyn stayed with the ship and Kiber had gone to the only bar in the city; the Draethos saw no need for such establishments. He turned down street after street of pedestrians and not a single vehicle was in sight. When he finally reached the bar he was not impressed with the shabby looking building. He opened the doors and walked in with his mask on; he had hoped most would mistake him for a Draethos sub-species of some sort. He could pick out his man in the crowd easily, by the bar counter stood a light pink skinned Draethos in black armor that revealed his abdomen and arms. He was muscular to be sure; there was no doubt that he was strong. Kiber approached the man and tapped him on the shoulder. The pink Draethos turned and spoke to the Darth with his telepathy.

_Are you a sith?_ He said firmly.

Kiber spoke next. _Does this answer your question; Olvan-Ral?_ The man looked around suspiciously and then pointed towards the door; gesturing that they should leave. They left the dark bar and went into the alleyway adjacent to it. The Draethos was not any bigger than Kiber; but it would be nearly impossible to guess his age – Draethos lived for up to 800 years.

"What do you want?" he asked the sith.

"_I want to know if you would like to escape this sarlacc-pit of a planet?_" Olvan smiled from under his giant teeth.

"Of course."

"_Then follow me…_"

* * *

"Don't take this the wrong way," began Lynaree to Olvan, "but you creep me out." Olvan-Ral looked up from his hands that he was looking at, trying to pass the time.

"I am not a Chauvinistic savage like my kin, I will not take offense if you voice your opinion." He went back to looking at his clawed hands.

"When we return to Korriban you will begin your true training and I shall gift to you a sith tattoo." finished Kiber after a long explanation, "are these terms to your liking, or do you wish to be dumped back on that cesspool of a planet."

"The terms fit me just fine." He said.

"How old are you, I know that your species lives for a long time?" Kiber asked the Draethos.

"Sixteen Coruscanti years, my Lord." He nodded his head toward his new master. Kiber felt a sensation of appreciation that he hadn't felt from his old apprentice.

"Oh, so you are not even into adulthood yet?"

"No, Master."

"Well, Lyn – set a course for Korriban!" she got up without a word and walked into the control room. Kiber crossed the room and sat down beside his new apprentice.

"You are very well mannered for a sith acolyte." Darth Kiber pointed out to the pink skinned alien.

"I have never had any competition; I have never had a reason to not be well mannered."

"Well said." Concurred Kiber as he foraged through his brain for something else to talk about until they arrived.

"Why did you decide not to join your warrior clan?" he hoped this wouldn't be too personal a question.

"I did not understand why we could not accept other species into our order," he explained, "your order is stronger because you accept everyone."

"We do not accept everyone; you must be adept in the force to join us." He stared at the ground for a time before returning his gaze to his apprentice, "You must also be willing to kill, and to cause suffering on a massive scale."

"I know."

"Then why do you remain so calm at present?" wondered Kiber.

"… Because… I want power, I want freedom." Kiber thought it was just as good a time as any to begin the first lesson.

"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me." He held his tongue for a moment so that his new apprentice may reflect on the words he spoke, "This is the Code of the Sith, I suggest you commit it to your memory." Olvan stood up to go to his cabin.

"I will meditate on your words, master." And he walked slowly off towards the cabins.

* * *

"Why did you join the sith?" asked Lyn to Darth Kiber, "There has to be a reason?"

"There is a reason…" he sat back in his chair and said nothing.

"Well, what is it?" Kiber saw that she was serious; many people were curious about why the sith do what they do.

"Everyone joins for a different reason, a goal." He let out a long sigh, not nearly as long as his story, "I left the Jedi because I was harassed daily by them," he clenched his fists and his pupils began to sink deeper into his eyes, "and it didn't take me long to figure out that I also craved power, but then there was more…"

"What?" she said as she stared out into the psychedelic sight of hyperspace.

"Order," he barely whispered, "I wanted Order, and someday I will have it; I will control the galaxy and there will be freedom for all."

"It's kinda' hard to have freedom when you're ruled by a dictator!" she pointed out, he knew this already.

"I will find a way, a way to maintain order and deliver freedom, someday…" Lyn did not look too impressed with his response.

"Whatever you say Sith-face…"

* * *

Liam had collected his three fellow travelers and then set out for the settlement once again. Liam had to convince Lymathe over and over again that they wouldn't be attacked and that he wasn't sure exactly what would happen. They arrived back at the sand village once more and were met with sand people just like last time, but they had their weapons lowered.

_You return._ Said the chieftain.

"Hey Liam, you were right, I understood that." Said Nakari.

"I can't say the same…" shrugged the pilot. Bruudar agreed.

_These are my friends; we hope you can accept us into your tribe._ He just hoped that nothing he said would offend them at all; he didn't want to die just yet.

_We will wish to examine them first, your people intrigue us; most of all that one._ He pointed at Bruudar.

_That is a 'Wookiee', they are strong, please do not make him mad._ The chieftain noticed that Bruudar was getting nervous as the sand people approached closer and closer to him. He called his men off and they ran off with a few honks from their masks. Bruudar breathed a sigh of relief.

_There is no ritual needed; you are now part of our tribe._

_As Ambassadors we will need freedom to come and go as we wish._

The Chieftain nodded his head slowly; _before you go anywhere we would like to give you your own Gaderffii and you will have to fully dressed to be accepted into our tribe._

A Gaderffii, also known as a Gaffi-stick was a piece of salvaged metal made into a staff, every sand person had one and it was a symbol of your tribal status.

_That is very kind of you… what is your name?_

_I am the chieftain; I no longer have a name, now come!_ They certainly were a naturally angry species weren't they?

* * *

After an hour of dressing and women sand people groping them, all of the 'Ambassadors' were fully dressed in a mix of rags and whatever they had on before. All of them aside from Bruudar had stereotypical Ghorfa (Another word for sand people) masks on; Bruudar had to have a special mask fitted to him that looked only slightly like the regular mask. The other Ghorfa had wanted to keep Nakari in the village because she was a woman, but Liam had convinced then otherwise. Lymathe came out of his hut with a mask merged with his own (but with goggles in place of the usual eye holes), and parts of a sand person's cloak attached to his already patchy looking jacket; as well as a battle skirt. He looked around through his tunnel-vision inducing mask and giggled.

"I feel so stylish!" he said jokingly. Bruudar walked out in his raggedy looking mask and all else that he wore now was a bandolier with shoulder pads, elbow pads, gauntlets, large boots, knee pads and cape like piece of rag on his back. He actually did not look half bad in it, but Wookiees did not wear clothes.

Bruudar expressed how much he didn't like this.

"Aw, quit yer' belly aching, the rags are supposed to make you not as hot." Explained Lymathe. Liam himself had his normal robes on, but he stressed the fact that he did not want eye holes in his mask, so they wrapped the wrappings around those as well; the chieftain even said that it made him look intimidating and that he would strike fear into the other tribes – he had to remind him that's not why he was here. Aside from that, he had a long raggedy cape and even more wrappings on his arms and legs. The rule among the Ghorfa was that NO skin could be showing, EVER. Nakari finally came out of her own hut with her own Sand person inspired robes on; she also had a small version of the traditional female mask covering her pale face. Luckily the chieftain had given them permission to take off their coverings, but only when they were in their own huts.

"How do I look?" she said with her arms wide. Liam wasn't sure what to say.

"You look… acceptable." He said, she shrugged and grabbed her lightsaber to see how flexible she was in her new armor. Liam wondered why they put them in _armor_?

_There is one more trial that you must pass to be accepted into the tribe…_ spoke the chief, _you must slay a Krayt dragon._

Liam stood there for a while wondering if he had heard that right. _A K-K-K-Krayt D-Dragon?_

_Is anything wrong, you know how to fight!_ He had no other option did he?

_We will set out right away._

"Did I just hear that right, Liam?" questioned Nakari, "I am NOT being eaten by a Krayt Dragon!"

"We won't be eaten we—"

"Did I just hear her say Krayt Dragon!" asked a now worried Lymathe.

"No, I mean yes, but it's okay!"

"It is not okay!" shouted Lymathe, as he raised his hands in argument.

"We are going or you are going to give me that credit chip back!" that shut him up immediately. For some reason, Bruudar seemed raring to go.

* * *

Lyn had brought the ship out of Hyperspace, but they weren't at Korriban yet. They had been forced out by a ship; it was a Hammerhead-Class Republic Cruiser. Lynaree looked like she was going to have a panic attack while the sweat dripped down her Lekku.

"What do we do!? What do we do!? What do we do!?" she kept screaming. Kiber quickly put his mask on and ran into his room to get his old lightsaber; he then ran into the cabins and tossed it at his apprentice who caught it just barely.

"Use that!" he said with his mask only half closed, "How much battle experience do you have!?"

"A very copious amount." He replied calmly; he was the perfect apprentice for Kiber: always in order.

"Good, let's go!" he closed his mask and ran back to the cockpit with his apprentice tailing behind. Lyn was still trying to steer away from the ship but it wouldn't work.

"We're stuck in a tractor beam! What do we do!?"

"_Calm down, just let them take us; I have a plan._" Said Kiber.

"What about the treaty!? They can't attack us!"

"It's open space, no one cares about the treaty out here…" replied Olvan, who was surprisingly knowledgeable despite his upbringing.

"_Just let them take us, trust me._"

* * *

"Search the ship!" said the commander that was currently on deck for the hangar of the ship, whatever its name was. His troopers slowly approached the transport, but the door opened before they could reach it; everyone raised their weapons, but no one emerged from the vessel. Two men boarded the Fury and the other soldiers could hear the sounds of lightsabers soon after.

"What's going on in there!?" shouted one of the soldiers on the outside. No answer.

"_You want to see your friend?_" said Kiber, no one could see him but he was somewhere. Suddenly from behind the smoke emerging from the ship came the severed head of one of the guards.

"My God!" said the Commander. Before anyone could react a red lightsaber flew out of the steam and smoke and placed itself in a soldier's chest as it cut through the haze. Every soldier on hand shot at the entrance to the ship, but every bolt was blocked by one silver lightsaber and one magenta saber. As Darth Kiber and Acolyte Olvan made their way out of the smoke the dread wafted off of the terrified troops. They were so disordered; it disgusted Kiber, he hated them. One tried to run but Kiber pulled him in with the force and impaled him with his silver blade. Olvan was in the thick of the fight, he was slaughtering the helpless soldiers like they were flies. Kiber reached out and his red saber placed itself in his left hand.

"Full retreat! Lock down the hangars!" screamed the commander as he and his pathetic troops ran for their lives. Kiber let out a slight maniacal giggle and continued walking toward his victims; his apprentice followed suit. As the soldiers left the bodies of their dead behind and ran through the door to the hallway, they rushed to close it behind them and trap their soon-to-be murderers. Kiber let them close the door and Olvan had no qualms with his decision.

"_Good job…_" said the Master.

"Thank you, Master…" replied the student.

Darth Kiber sauntered up to the fifteen inch thick blast door and raised his hands, and he focused. The metal began to bend and twist, and then with a *Boom* the door bent inwards towards the hall. One man was impaled by the shrapnel and the rest ran away while taking pot-shots at their aggressors.

"I am proud to be your apprentice, Master."

"_Thank you, Olvan._"

They strolled down the hall at a leisurely pace, and the Soldiers continued to run. Once in a while they would get the one hero who would run straight at the two sith to buy time for their friends; they were cut down with haste. The commander was backed into a wall now, and with only a handful of troops; the captain had locked them out of the bridge and they had nowhere else to go.

"_Will you come quietly, or shall we make you die slow!?_" asked Kiber with a wide smile under his mask.

"We will never surrender to you, sith scum!"

"Then we shall kill you, right, Master?" hinted Olvan to his murderous master.

"_Exactly!_" Kiber put his sabers back in their respective spots on his belt and then held out his hands with his fingers spread wide. "_Wither and die; Republic dogs!_"

From the other side of the door to the bridge, there were more than twenty troopers waiting to ambush the measly two sith. The troopers, as well as the rest of the crew, cringed when they heard the sounds from the other side; horrid, blood curdling screams and the sound of arcing lightning making contact with both flesh and metal. The captain himself was a balding middle-aged man; he did not flinch, he had seen and heard worse. Suddenly the metal of the door started to dent inward, and again, and even more. The blast door durst forward and metal flew at the soldiers. The sith decided not to use this to their advantage; they instead just revelled in the suffering it caused, and of their presence whilst they walked through the entrance.

"_Release our ship, and you will not be harmed…_" offered the Darth as his equally intimidating apprentice admired their handy work. No one responded so Kiber ignited his silver saber and raised it overhead.

"_I will ask ONE MORE TIME! Release our ship!_" a man in grey stepped forward and pushed his troops to the side as he gathered the courage to stop not even a foot away from the two sith. Kiber had to admit; he respected such courage in a REPUBLIC official, in the empire it was just expected.

"I am the Captain of the 'Gree Ingenuity', I will release your ship if you halt your attacks right this instant."

"_I see you are a brave man… to stand before a sith without showing fear openly._" They stared directly into each other's eyes with a fiery intent behind both stares.

"I've been face to face with people a lot more frightening than you…"

Kiber let out a hearty laugh, "_And I wouldn't doubt that… now release our ship!_"

"Kiber?" called a voice from a distance; he knew this voice well. From behind a group of crew members appeared his old master, Master Dren.

"_Dren…_" he snarled.


	10. In The Dragon's Den

Master Dren ignited his yellow double-bladed lightsaber, and simply continued to stare at his former pupil with great intrigue. Kiber was not prepared to face his old master; he would have to think of a way out of this, or hope for the best and fight him. Dren pushed his allies aside as he approached the sith lord.

"I thought I would NEVER see you again?" he said with sympathy deep in his eyes; now he obviously regretted not keeping a closer eye on his students.

"_And I wish I never had to see you again!_" Kiber was always very bitter from the fact that his master never did anything to try and stop Pohn's torturous acts, or at least very little. Master Dren motioned toward the Draethos with pink skin.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"_This is my apprentice; his name is Olvan-Ral._" He gestured with his hand toward his apprentice and the Draethos gave a slight bow.

"Apprentice!? Now I know you have fallen too far to save."

"For the better…" interjected Olvan. Dren looked with resentment to the acolyte and sneered.

"You would follow your master to the grave, wouldn't you?" he asked with an intriguing smile on his marked face.

Olvan reignited his saber and held it outward with both hands; he had a very strong stance. "I would…"

"Then you may just have to; unless you both turn yourselves in." Dren said to his dark counterparts.

Kiber let out a laugh, a very long and infectious laugh, "_I… am a Darth; I will not surrender to anyone!_" he alit his burning blades and held them frontward. Surprise hit the Jedi Master like a ton of cement. Kiber had his uncle's lightsaber.

"You were supposed to bring honour back to your uncle's name. Did you know that? Now look what you have become!" he sounded almost angry; it was the perfect opportunity to prod him into attacking.

"_Don't let your anger consume you, Master…_" Dren looked like he was losing his cool, "_… Lest you BECOME anger… isn't that what you taught me?_" Master Dren picked up a nearby chair with the force and threw it at his former pupil; Kiber simply cut it in half and let the pieces fly behind him. Dren began to run at his two opponents with a fire burning in his eyes; he no longer had any sympathy to give to the child that he helped to raise. Their blades made contact and locked together.

"I don't want to do this!" Dren said angrily.

"_Yes, but I do…_" laughed Darth Kiber.

* * *

"Why did I sign up for this!?" shouted Lymathe into the sands of Tatooine as they walked to the location where the Krayt Dragon cave was supposed to be.

Bruudar made a suggestive sound.

"NO, it will NOT be fun Bruudar! We. Are. Going. To. Die!" he said stressing the fact with his hand motions. Liam brushed off their comments and continued to walk through the crevice of rock that they had to traverse through.

"If we keep our wits about us, then there will be no problem. Sand People hunt Krayts all the time!" as an Echani, Nakari was always ready for the next fight or the upcoming hunt.

"That is true." Confirmed Liam; so far he was pretty much their walking encyclopedia of Ghorfa history. Bruudar made a large roar and looked toward Liam and made a snort.

"I have known many Wookiees in my time; you are natural hunters!" Liam complemented. Bruudar made a happy noise.

"If they let us keep one of the Krayt pearls, I call having it for my saber!" claimed Nakari through her thick metal mask. Before they had set out, a few warriors of the tribe returned from a salvage journey with the materials needed to make four Gaderffii for the new additions to their tribe. Everyone got a very standard looking Gaffi-stick made of plain old durasteel salvage, except for Liam. They must have thought he was some sort of a Herald, or a leader of a sort for his group, because they made for him a very special stick. It had a spike on one end like most traditional Gaderffii did, but on the curved end – in place of a curved metal pole met with a blunt object, sometimes slightly pointed – was the head of an axe that they had forged from left over durasteel. Aside from that he had taken a blue ribbon he found in the wreckage pile and wrapped it just before the head of the axe. When he had tested out his new weapon back at the camp, it had sliced clean through the piece of wood that he hit, it would be useful in the coming hunt.

"I'm amazed at how cooled down I am in these wraps; no wonder the Ghorfa use them!" said Nakari.

"I don't care either way, I just want to kill this thing and be back in time for Bantha stew." Laughed Lymathe.

* * *

Eventually they arrived where they were supposed to be and a large open cavern loomed overhead of them; it was very dark. Liam got his Gaderffii off of his back and ignited one lightsaber, the Gaffi-stick was quite heavy for what he was used to but he could make it work. He held his stick in one hand and his saber in the other.

"Bruudar and Lymathe, you two hang back and use ranged attacks; me and Nakari will get up close and personal." Said Liam to his troop. The Jedi duo made their way into the cave and their Lightsabers lit the cave with silver and yellow light. Liam almost swallowed his tongue when he accidently stepped upon the giant CLAW of the resident of the cavern. He lightly took his foot off of the monsters giant talons and stepped back slowly; it did not wake up. Liam looked up and saw a group of stalactites on the cave's ceiling. He reached out, through the force, and pulled down on the giant stone spikes. They fell down and onto the back of the reptilian monster, it made a growling noise and then rose itself off of its belly; it emitted an ear shattering roar.

"Run!" screamed Nakari. They began to run out of the cave. As Liam looked back he noticed that some of the stalactites had actually penetrated the beast's scales. He had an idea now. He stepped quickly to the side as the Dragon emerged from its cave and pulled down some more spikes. The monster screamed and thrashed its body around to dislodge the foreign objects while he was being shot at from two different angles. Liam saw an opportunity and hopped on top of the beast's scaly back. He ran to the head of the creature and smashed down on top of its head with the axe side of his Gaffi-stick; it shrieked and began to shake its head wildly. Nakari ran over to the reptile's front legs and slashed them with her saber; it fell to its knees. Liam took his own saber and ended the beast's life with a stab through the top of its skull. Liam breathed a sigh of relief and stumbled his way down onto the sand. Nakari walked over to the Krayt's gullet and ripped it open with her Gaffi; four small pearls fell out of the dragon's throat. She scooped them up and put them in a small pouch she was given by the chief. Liam walked over to the giant Dragon's head and sliced its horns off with his axe; he collected them and then bundled them up in a roll of fabric.

"That was a good hunt…" said Liam.

* * *

Back aboard the 'Gree Ingenuity'…

"_I always… knew you were weak… Dren…_" Kiber found it hard to breathe when his mask had been crushed in. the battle had been going strong for nearly ten minutes now, with six people caught in the crossfire and the rest ordered to retreat from the bridge, the fight seemed near its end. His former master's blade had been cut in half, leaving him with only one blade. Both men were tired however, and they could not keep this up for much longer. The only thing keeping Kiber standing was his adrenaline and the force. Dren did not reply to his comment, he instead struck out with his yellow saber and tried fruitlessly to cut through Kiber's defences. They lashed out against one another as Olvan sat to the side on the body of an officer. The fight continued for one more minute of expert swordplay, and then Dren found himself disarmed with a silver blade pointed at his neck.

"Killing me… won't *cough* change anything…" he said to his executioner.

"_It will still… make me happy… heh, heh_…" he plunged his saber through Dren's neck and the Jedi gasped for air as he slowly fell limp. He had finally done it, the one thing that every dark Jedi longed to do; to kill their master, in cold blood, with them at their knees. He felt satisfaction as he looked down at the corpse of the Zabrak Jedi master, it felt like a victory long in the making. Suddenly, Dren's body began to fade, and before Kiber could say anything; he was gone, faded into the force where he would meet Liamen once more. Now Kiber felt NO satisfaction, knowing that his master had transcended the mortal plain and went on into the unknown. It frustrated him that he would not know what the force held in death, until he reached death himself. Never the less he grabbed up his old master's saber and walked over to the console at the helm of the cruiser. He hacked through the firewall and every other security measure protecting the console and once he was inside, the ship was laid out before him. He deactivated the tractor beams, the guns, and the life support system, but not only that; he also set the ship onto a silent self-destruct sequence. It was the ultimate insult; the crew wouldn't see it coming and there would be no warning. He took off his busted mask.

"We may want to get to the ship as soon as possible." He ignited Dren's saber and slashed the console in half, "Let's go!"

They ran down the hallway as fast as the force allowed, and boarded their own ship, closing the ramp tightly.

"Get us space bound!" he commanded to Lyn, who nearly jumped out of her skin at his scream.

"Jeez, I'm going!" she activated the engines and turned the ship out toward space, and as they flew off they could feel the shock wave from the explosion. He looked back through the turret's camera, at his achievement. The ship burst into flame for a split second before the vacuum of space snuffed it out and then the hyperdrive exploded, sending a fusion shock wave rolling through space; the ship cracked into a million pieces and debris rocketed through the void, and a thousand voices cried out in terror, before being finally silenced. It fueled Kiber's power, and he would be powerful after this.

* * *

The return of Liam and his comrades was greeted with hoots, honks, and grunts in an almost inaudible alien language. Bruudar came through the gate with a bundle of Krayt Dragon horns on his back; that gained him the respect of the sand people in the long run. The sand people flocked to congratulate the outsiders – most likely the rarest sight in the entire galaxy. The Chieftain ordered them away as he approached Nakari who had the sack of pearls in her possession. He took them and examined them closely.

_May she keep one?_ Asked Liam; Nakari was surprised although you couldn't tell from under her mask. The chieftain reflected on his request.

_Very well, you have proven able warriors; it is not very often that any of our people accept outsiders who come of their own will. It will be your gift from me personally._

Now Nakari attempted to speak Sand person, _I would be most grateful._ She spoke, surprisingly in perfect grammar. The chief took one Krayt Dragon pearl from the sack and handed it to the Echani; it sparkled and shone in the light of the two suns. The sand people watched with great interest as she held the pearl to the sky.

"This will make the perfect lightsaber."

"Just remember to properly clean It." Reminded Liam.

* * *

That night, Liam emerged from his hut with his attire he had on earlier in the day, but his right shoulder pad was slightly larger and it held three Krayt Dragon horns on it, pointed behind him. Six of the horns also decorated his torso to look like a rib cage; this particular dragon had an excess of horns, even for a Krayt. The Chieftain once again complimented him on how terrifying and war-like he looked, and again he reminded the chief that he would use his attire only to scare off intruders from other, more nomadic tribes. For an hour that night they gathered around the fire pit in the middle of the small chasm that they called home and talked about their previous hunts. He had to admit, his eyeless mask was quite intimidating, and he only hoped it would be a boon in the harsh desert. Hopefully no settlers would mistake him for a sand person; although it would be a realistic mistake. After the majority of the settlement went to bed, Liam went to his own hut to get his armor off and be ready for bed as well. Nakari walked in on him just as he was removing the wrappings from his head, revealing his eyeless face. He could sense her with the force but it was too late to cover his face again. In place of eye sockets he had deep hollow pits where his eyes should have been; were he a human. He gasped in surprise at her arrival and then finally decided it was best to try and cover up his face; his hands did not help much.

"What are you doing here!?" he asked Nakari; she did not answer immediately.

"I… I was going to-" She interrupted herself, "You look so handsome without your mask on…" she whispered.

"Can you please leave-" he interrupted himself as well, "What did you say?" he said as he slowly let his hands fall away from his face. She removed her own mask and walked over to her fellow Jedi. "What are you doing?" he whispered. She unwrapped her hands of the cloth that covered them and then put her palms against the smooth skin on his face.

He spoke again, but he did not pull away from her touch, "If the council finds out that we-!" and then she kissed him. She was a gentle kisser, especially for a warrior; although she had followed the path of the sage – she always enjoyed helping others. Their lips sealed in an embrace of passion, but passion was forbidden, it would lead to the dark side. But that was only 'Odan-Urr's' interpretation of the code, wasn't it.

_There is no emotion, there is peace._

_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._

_There is no passion, there is serenity._

_There is no chaos, there is harmony._

_There is no death, there is the Force._

That was what master Odan-Urr interpreted it as, but the original code of the Jedi order was:

_Emotion, yet peace._

_Ignorance, yet knowledge._

_Passion, yet serenity._

_Chaos, yet harmony._

_Death, yet the Force._

Perhaps the Jedi had misinterpreted the true teachings of the code, perhaps they should be using their emotions, and that would lead to peace, maybe in their ignorance, knowledge would become more clear. In Passion feasibly the more serene could rise up and lead the passionate. From Chaos, such as the war, they would discover harmony. And most obvious of all, Liam had seen death, he knew it existed, but death would always lead to the force. He snapped back into reality as Nakari pushed off of him and continued getting undressed, so Liam did the same. It would be a long night…

* * *

On Korriban, in the chambers of Darth Kiber…

"For your performance aboard the 'Gree Ingenuity', I now grant you the title of 'Lord… Pravus', from now on you shall be known to all as Lord Pravus; may it strike fear into your enemies." Proclaimed Darth Kiber to his apprentice. "Rise, Lord Pravus." Olvan-Ral, now Pravus, got up off of his knees and rose to the same level as his lord.

"What is thy bidding, my master?" Kiber smiled sinisterly and pointed to the hall exiting the room.

"You shall go to the third room down the hall to your right; then you shall decide upon your sith tattoos."

"Yes," he bowed, "My master." And then he walked out of the room without another word spoken. He was already showing greater potential than the last apprentice that Kiber had, he was more organized and more head strong. Kiber could tell they would be a force to be reckoned with. He sat down behind his desk and began gulping down an expensive bottle of spirits; this was the life.

* * *

Liam awoke in the morning and he could not find his guise, his mask. He reached over to the table beside the bed but found nothing. Even more surprising was when he reached over to the other side of the bed and saw Nakari; naked, no less. Having force sight meant you could see even your own face, and he was blushing very noticeably. He nudged his friend slightly and she tossed and turned, eventually throwing her hand up to see what was touching her; she accidently placed her fingers in the pits of Liam's head, where his eyes should be. He simply sat there while she felt around and realized something was off.

"Liam?" she said as she lifted her pale face off of her pillow and her snowy hair draped down her head.

"The one and only." He said with an awkward smile. She laughed slightly.

"Do you still think Jedi should be forbidden to love?" she asked

"… I never thought it in the first place." And they embraced each other once again.


	11. A Warrior's Customs

When the other lords on Korriban did not believe Kiber's story of how he detonated the warship, they sent out a search party to find its wreckage; they wanted nothing more than to prove the fledgling Darth wrong. When the search party returned however, the evidence was clear; Kiber and Pravus destroyed a ship of over 2000 crew members, by themselves. When Kiber, Pravus, and Lyn walked down the metallic hallways of the academy, people averted their eyes; they truly feared the rising dark lord. As a matter of fact, later that day Darth Baras delivered a message to Kiber, personally, thanking him for taking care of a ship that he had been hunting since just after the sacking of Coruscant. That gained him even more prestige among his fellows that a high-ranking Darth like Baras would even consider meeting with him; that was considered astounding in the eyes of his peers. The fear resounded off the almost cavernous walls of the academy. They finally arrived at the ship and boarded in preparation of their next mission, a mission which Kiber had not briefed them on yet.

They entered the steel vessel and got ready for takeoff. Pravus had his new black sith tattoos that spread around his whole body and they contrasted with his pink skin intensely, as well Kiber had a new mask that was eerily similar to his last, the only difference was that he had more black this time around; he must have really liked that mask. Lyn bought a new head dress while they were out that wrapped around the roots of her Lekku. They sat down in the three seats that were present and set a course for the planet of 'Hutta' in the mid-rim.

"Why are we going to that stinking place anyways?" asked Lyn, "I really don't like it there."

"_If you want to remain in my employ, then you should toughen up._" The dark lord suggested.

"Fine, but why are we going there?"

"I am curious also, master?" Pravus said to the Darth.

"_We are going to find my brother…_" was all he said.

* * *

The morning suns rose from over the horizon, one yellow, and one more orange than the other. The sands of Tatooine were set ablaze with the light that they shone down onto the dunes and it was times like this that Liam wished he could 'shut-off' his force sight; the light was that intense. He and Nakari were sitting on a stone ridge overlooking a nearby canyon that stretched for miles over the vanishing point. They were both dressed in full sand person attire and Nakari was fiddling with the Krayt dragon pearl she had received.

"So…" began Liam, "That just happened, didn't it." They sat silently for a moment.

"Yeah… it did…" again, they fell silent, "You don't… regret it, do you?"

"No, no we needed to know if it were the same for both of us." He turned to her, but neither of them could see each other's faces; he could 'feel' her face through the force, but it wasn't clear like it usually was, it was obstructed, except for her eyes.

Nakari looked up at the sky, "How does it feel for you…" she asked her forbidden lover, "The passion?"

"It felt… right, that is what I don't understand," he wondered out loud, "we are barred from the passions of love, but it seems to only give us strength."

"Perhaps we should not dwell on it, lest our minds fall to… darker temptations." He could not agree more.

"We should stick to the lesser evils, is what you're saying."

"Love should never be considered an evil." She retorted.

"I can still understand why they consider it as such."

"Why?"

"Because… it can lead to so much suffering." They sat on that ridge for hours, and eventually even in each other's arms. The cloth of the Ghorfa cooled their bodies, but their hearts remained as warm as the sand.

* * *

Hutta, more formerly known as Nal Hutta, was always a stinking cesspool of crime and pollution, ever since the Hutts took control thousands of years ago. The local Evocii were forced out of their homes and put up on the market as slaves, their once beautiful home was then turned into a cesspit for the Hutt cartel and their slimy degenerate thugs. Their ship cut through the hazy pollutant filled air as it landed. Kiber went alone on this venture. The spaceport in this city was absolutely filled with people of all species; mostly vagabonds and ruffians looking for their next pay of dirty money. He was going to a bar, a Mandalorian outpost more like. His brother he had been searching years for, had finally shown up on his radar; he had finally found him. He had a large credit chip stuck in his armor so no one would be getting at it anytime soon. Mandalorians valued honor, but the money would help convince him. Whilst he walked through the dirty streets of the city men sized him up and realized that he was not worth the risk. And then he finally arrived upon the doorstep of his destination, the only respectable looking building in town. The Mandalorian enclave on Hutta was nothing more than a large bar full of a bunch of brutes, some who have honor, and others that pretend to have that same honor. In the center of the room, at a small table sat his man. Xaffaj wore blue and orange armor in the form of the modern Neo-crusaders, the armor worn by the modern day Mandalorian military. Darth Kiber sat down beside his brother and waited to see how he would react. Mandalorians from all around the galaxy and chatted, ate and… kissed? From out the corner of his eye he could see a couple; two Mandalorians, but it was a couple Kiber had never seen before: two men. He watched in confusion as the two human men practically ate each other's tongues.

"You look confused?" said Xaffaj as he slowly slid his helmet off of his head. He had blasted back looking hair that formed into a faux-hawk at its peak. Most noticeably however was that he had a cybernetic eye in place of his right eye.

"_That,_" pointed Kiber to the two men, "_is not natural._" Xaffaj let out a long sigh and set his helmet down on the table.

"In Mandalorian society, love is love; don't matter who's doin' it." He looked over at the couple, "Other people don't understand it." Kiber could sense some tension, but he continued regardless.

"_Do you know who I am?_" he asked. Xaffaj whispered a slight laugh.

"Yep."

"_Do you know why I am here?_"

"… No." Kiber reached into his armor and pulled out the credit chip; he slid it across the table to his brother.

"_I want to permanently hire you onto my ship…_" the bounty hunter looked at him with a wild eye, not to mention that his cybernetic eye was racing around in its socket. He grabbed up the chip and scanned it with his eye.

"… one million credits!?"

"_Yes._" They both remained silent for a moment, "_and I will inform you of something even more interesting once we are aboard my ship._" The bounty hunter put on a thin but large smile.

"Sure thing, boss." Kiber got up to leave, expecting his brother to follow, "Wait…" said the hunter.

"_What?_"

"I'll only come if I can bring my hunting partner."

* * *

His 'Hunting Partner' was a Mandalorian as well, and a tough one at that. She wore armor very similar to his, although her armor was green, as well as being accompanied by a battle skirt and a shoulder cape. The sith lord watched from the loading ramp of his ship as she waltzed up the way with a blaster rifle in her hand and Xaffaj by her side with two blaster pistols at his hip. They were both equally intimidating he had to admit.

"_Welcome to the Fury._" He said as he gestured inside. They entered the spacecraft and sat in the lounge area of the ship to get acquainted with their new crew.

"Who's your friend?" asked Lyn to Xaffaj

Xaffaj and his friend took off their helmets and placed then on their laps.

"Me and Kelann are far more than just friends…" he turned to his 'Hunting Partner' and the two of them locked their lips tightly together. She had flowing blonde hair that would stick out of the back of her helmet when she put it on.

"Oh, when did you two get married? That is if you ARE married." Asked the Twi'lek.

"We," spoke Kelann, "were married at sixteen." Lyn looked surprised.

"Sixteen!?"

"Mandalorians wed when they are young," explained Xaffaj, "it is meant to be a life-long commitment."

"_What are you specialities?_" asked Kiber to try and get away from the current topic.

"I'm best when I have a blaster in my hands, I like explosives too." Said Xaffaj

"Both of us can do anything really," spoke Kelann, "but I'm very good with computer slicing and technical stuff."

"_Good, we practically have everything we need._" He turned back to his brother, "_Xaf' I need you to come with me, we must speak…_"

"Sure thing." They got up and left for the cabin, Kiber only hoped that he would be able to understand what he was going to tell him.

* * *

"Uhhh… Ugrak, gurkurk, duk?" asked Lymathe to the sand people in the village; they seemed to be getting very angry at him. Luckily Liam returned in time to save his sorry hide.

_What he means to ask is if he can go out to trade._ The sand people made honks of agreement and pointed off towards the settlement a few miles away.

"Thanks man thought I was a goner! They looked like they were going to tear me apart." He held his chest and took deep breaths. "Guess me and Bruudar will be heading to the ship. Seeya later!" and then the two smugglers wondered off into the sand.

"He's lucky he wasn't killed." Said Nakari.

"Yeah," agreed Liam, "I'm pretty sure he insulted their mothers!" the two of them laughed for a time before deciding to go help out with guard duty. The sands were soothing as they sat on the wall of the settlement with some other sand people, rifles in hand. The suns were still just as intense as they were earlier that morning. They could see dewbacks roaming across the dune sea as they foraged for food; their green scales were very opaque and did not reflect any sunlight, making them easier to look at when compared to the sand. Something was not right however, because from just over the horizon Liam could see a large line of people coming this way. Imperials.

"We have to move now, Nakari!"

"Is that—"

"Yes, the imps are here!" Liam turned to face the other Ghorfa and honked a few times in the strange language. Every sand person in the village put their head up in surprise and then every warrior that could be found rushed to muster near the main gates. Liam honked and grunted a few more times and the warriors raised their Gaderffii and their Cycler rifles, ready to fight. The line of Imperial troops was getting closer, there were at least fifty of them and the majority of the village's troops were out raiding. They were outnumbered 2 to 1 in sheer numbers, but considering how there was two Jedi on the side of the locals, Liam was unworried. He grunted once more and then pointed toward the enemy. The horde of sand people burst forward from the entrance to their home and charged at the invaders; the troopers raised their weapons and opened fire. Liam and Nakari led the charge, deflecting every blaster bolt that threatened their extended family and sending them back to meet their maker. The troopers were not accustomed to the sand and many of them stumbled as they attempted to put distance between them and the enemy. Liam hopped up into the air and came back down placing his Gaderffii into the throat of one trooper and then throwing his saber to decapitate another. While he was distracted another trooper came up behind him with a knife, but before he could make contact with his foe, Liam twirled around and ignited his other sword; taking the man's arm off with one deft swipe. As the massacre went on, Liam realized that they – as Jedi – might not be cut-out for this mission. The fighting, the violence, it was not the way of the Jedi. Liam briefly reflected upon the original Jedi code once more, perhaps violence was not meant to be either avoided or embraced… maybe it was just meant to be… accepted as a fact of life. Revan eventually followed the path of neutrality, but most Jedi believe it an impossible path. Maybe… maybe a Jedi could follow the path of the light but still use his emotions when he needed strength the most, maybe everything they had been taught was not false, but neither was it true. In this moment a fist struck him upside the head and when he realized what had happened a second later a trooper was already holding a rifle to his face. Before he could pull the trigger however, Nakari slashed her yellow saber through his neck and his helmeted head fell to the dunes. The battle was over, and only five of their twenty-eight warriors had been killed in the skirmish. They dragged their dead back to the settlement while others grabbed the armor and equipment off of the soldiers. The dead were buried and mourned, but only for a time since life in the desert went relatively fast; Nakari and Liam just hoped that they would remain alive for some time to come.

* * *

"And THIS is when me and Xaf' bagged a Bull-Rancor back on Dathomir." Kelann and Lynaree were getting along quite swimmingly and Kelann was showing her pictures of all the adventures that she and Xaffaj had been on.

"Crap, that's big!" said Lyn. Lord Pravus was sitting in the corner catching up on some reading whilst he awaited his master's return.

Meanwhile, in the cabin…

"I don't know man, seems pretty convenient…" said Xaffaj as he rubbed his stubbly chin.

"I know it does," spoke Kiber, he had his mask off now, "but I want someone that I at least THINK I can trust on my ship, and I'm sure that million credits was quite a nice little incentive."

"Gimme your hand." Requested Xaffaj as he detached his gauntlet and pricked his own finger; he took the blood from his finger and put it into the side of a monitor on his wrist. Reluctantly, Kiber stuck his own, now ungloved, hand out toward the Mando. There was a small prick and then no pain after. Xaffaj input the blood of them both into the device on his arm; he scoffed and looked back up.

"Well, I'll be damned… an exact match!" he exasperated.

"We're quadruplets; of course we would all be a nearly perfect match."

"Ok," Xaffaj rubbed his face with his hands and smiled, "I believe you; you have my full support."

Darth Kiber put his hands on his brother's shoulders; ever since he and Liam had betrayed one another, he had longed for the chance to have family again. He was a bit soft for a sith.

"I'm glad…" he said.

* * *

Later that night back on Tatooine, Lymathe and Bruudar had returned after trading for supplies. When everyone had went to go to sleep once again, Liam thought he would check in with his brother before he himself went off to bed. However, when he pushed away the drapes to Lymathe's hut, the scene was… interesting and troubling. Lymathe was sitting in a chair, bent over a table and snorting a powdery light-brown substance off of the surface of the table top. Liam merely stood there and watched what his brother would do next, but when Lymathe looked up and noticed his brother standing by the entrance to his home; his reaction was unexpected. Instead of being mad, or surprised; he burst into spontaneous and almost infectious laughter. He finished one more line of his powdery narcotic and fell down onto the sand floor of hut. He rolled around and roared with laughter. Liam ran over and helped his brother up onto his bed, which he hoped would be more comfortable than the sand. Lymathe was still laughing like… well like a spice-head.

"What have you been doing!?" asked Liam, he took off his mask to see if that would snap his brother out of this state, it didn't.

"G-G-Giggle-dust!" he burst into uncontrollable laughter once again.

Giggle-dust was a type of spice; a common drug in the galaxy. Giggle-dust would do exactly what you think it would do to you: make you find everything humorous in one way or another.

"You do spice!?"

"Sometimes… Pfft!" he erupted into laughter again and Liam thought it was about time to end this. He waved his hand and Lymathe fell asleep in an instant. He wanted so bad to just smash the jar of 'Giggle-Dust' on the table across the room; but that wouldn't be fair. Lymathe had to decide his own future, and Liam couldn't make these decisions for him. Instead, Liam left to go to his own hut. When he entered his hut, Nakari was already asleep in the Bantha hide bed that they had had their first encounter in. He wouldn't wake her to say goodnight, he would silently whisper it and then get into the other side of the bed. He stayed up at least half of the night just staring at her white hair and skin; it was a brilliant change from the color of sand and the blue of the sky. He slept well for the rest of the night, but still he worried for Lymathe.

* * *

"By Manda'lor! What was that!?" exclaimed Kelann. The ship began to rock back and forth as something struck the hull. Kiber came racing out of his own personal cabin and took control of the ship once again; they had been on autopilot. A group of Republic fighters had converged upon them and opened fire without warning. They must have been in republic space.

"Kelann, Xaffaj, take the turret controls!" he called out to his new crew members. The two Mandos bolted for the cockpit and sat in the two turret control seats.

"What's going on!?" asked Pravus as he arrived upon the scene.

"We're under attack; Republic!" answered Xaffaj. Lyn was in the co-pilot seat and was monitoring the status of their ship and therefore their lives.

"Shields down to eighty percent!" she shouted to the crew.

"Time to pull a few tricks out of my sleeve." Smirked Kiber.


	12. Betrayal is Essential

The Fury-Class fighter roared through space dodging around asteroid after asteroid. The peaceful quiet of space was soothing until the republic fighters came along and abruptly ended their afternoon nap. The sound of blaster cannons could be heard as they created craters in the asteroids and blasted bits of space rock everywhere. Kiber jerked his controls to the side and the ship rolled to evade an incoming asteroid; a republic fighter crashed into it a moment later. The fighters continued to come at them with reckless abandon and firing lasers continuously at their enemies. Xaffaj and Kelann returned fire with the side mounted blaster cannons. Flashes of red and green flared off of the surfaces of the floating rocks as they rocketed by. Xaffaj fired a few shots at one of the ships following closely behind them, the laser made contact with the cockpit of the ship and it went twirling into an asteroid, making a fiery explosion.

"Got one!" screamed Xaffaj over the echoes of the battle.

"Nice one, partner!" complimented Kelann.

Kiber paid no attention to anyone while he continued cutting around sharp turns in the asteroid field, hoping to cause a crash for the enemy. He was always a good pilot; he just never had the chance to prove it all that often. The turrets both shot green bolts of energy at the incoming combat ships; another was hit, this time by Kelann.

"Chalk up another kill for, Kelann!" she cheered.

"That's my baby!" shouted Xaffaj.

"Shut up! We gotta focus!" shouted Lyn as she stared down at her console, "Kark!" she yelled, "Shields are forty percent; do something!"

"I will finish this…" whispered Pravus, whom Kiber barely heard. Pravus walked to the storage area and came back with a bomb which had a ten second charge. Without telling anyone, he threw it into the airlock and activated it. Next thing they knew the bomb was flying out the airlock behind them, five seconds later the bomb created a huge shockwave and sent small space rocks flying everywhere; all of the fighters that were following them were destroyed in the process. Darth Kiber let out his held breath and laid his head down on the control console in front of him. They barely got out alive this time; he hoped that the rest of the ride home would be uneventful. Kiber felt a tap on his shoulder, and then heard the voice of his co-pilot.

"Um… Kiber?" poked Lynaree, "We have a problem…"

Without saying a word, Kiber looked up and saw something in front of the ship; something big. He felt like the most unlucky man in the world, right now.

"Is that…" he dreaded to say it, "Is that a capital ship?" they had passed through the asteroid belt, but now they had bigger problems. A bulky 'Valor-class Republic Cruiser' was directly in their sights; it was at least two and a half times bigger than a Hammerhead-class.

"Yup…" Lyn sighed. The five crew members of the Fury got out of their seats and stared toward the colossal vessel; without warning the ship lurched side to side and then began moving slowly forward. They were caught in a tractor beam.

"Xaffaj, we better go grab our weapons." Suggested Kelann.

"Good idea, come on!" Xaffaj ran off toward the cabin and his lover followed closely behind.

Kiber could hear the holoprojector in the main room beeping; he was receiving a message from someone. He ran into the lounge of the ship and flicked the switch; they were being hailed by the republic ship. Everyone gathered in the main room and stood in front of the holo, weapons in hand. Lynaree was sweating harder than Kiber had ever seen. He pressed reply on the projector's console and the blue hologram of a man in a republic officer outfit flickered into being.

"What are your conditions of surrender?" asked Darth Kiber before the officer could even request anything, but he remained calm.

"_We would like to request that you surrender your ship and weapons, without violence; then we may consider releasing you to your superiors._" He said with a smug look on his face. This was not the republic as he had left it, when he left Coruscant behind he remembered the republic being fair and kind to their war prisoners, but this man looked just as devious as any sith.

"You will have to take them by force, captain." Kiber replied. The captain of the giant ship grinned and then spoke.

"_Then we will pull you in and forcefully remove them from your possession._"

"You will try." He replied before shutting off the projector.

"What are we going to do, master?"

"Same thing we did last time," Kiber smiled as he put his mask on and closed it before putting his hood back over his head, "_But with two extra pairs of hands…_"

* * *

The hunting party returned a day later from raiding a nearby settlement and were not surprised to find some of their own, dead. The Chieftain explained that these raids by the empire have been common, but they had never sent so many soldiers before now. From that day forward, Liam was named the War Chieftain of the tribe; even though he argued heavily against it.

_I already tried to talk you out of raiding that one homestead, why do you not understand that the Jedi are not a warlike people?_ He pleaded.

_You have shown capability in the field of battle, we need to have a capable warrior guiding our other warriors!_

_But…_

_This is final! You must accept it, or you must leave!_ The chieftain was smarter than most Ghorfa; he knew how to convince you.

_Fine… but do not expect me to come on your raiding parties; I will have to refuse._

The rest of the day was spent like most days in the tribe were, gathering salvage and patrolling the settlement's borders. Today, Liam and Lymathe were on patrol around the outskirts of the village, making sure that the guards would get fair warning if there was another group of Imperials coming. Lymathe acted like everything was normal, but Liam felt awkward knowing his brother was a spice addict and it was hard finding a conversational topic that was not related to his habit.

"Why do you do spice?" he blurted out without thinking about the consequences; it was too late for that now. Lymathe seemed surprised.

"Spice… I-I don't do spice."

"Poodoo!" he exclaimed, "I was in your hut last night when you were snorting that filth!" Lymathe looked even more surprised now, so he put his mask up to hide his expression.

"You… you were?"

"You don't remember?" he wondered; Liam couldn't tell what Lymathe was feeling with his face covered like that.

"I only remember the first hour of doing that; fun times!" Liam gave him a look of disgust; however it wasn't visible through his wrappings and it would be hard to tell with his eye coverings anyways.

"How is it fun!?" he said to the smuggler as they stopped walking.

"Everything is so hilarious when you snort giggle-dust, man."

"It kills your brain cells!" he argued with his hands waving in the air.

"Worth it!" he said as he began walking forward again, ignoring his brother's arguments. Liam decided it was not worth it and followed after him to continue his rounds.

* * *

The Fury was drawn ever closer to the republic capital ship as the tractor beam did its duty. While Lyn was pacing back and forth in hysteria, the rest of the crew were prepped and ready to go. Kelann was pulling, detaching, and reattaching things on her prototype blaster carbine/rifle hybrid (switchable fire modes) and reciting a war poem in _Mando'a_; the Mandalorian language. Xaffaj was flicking and twirling his two blaster pistols in his hands; both of them were fully customized, right down to the paint job. The master and the apprentice simply sat on the couch connected to the wall, and waited.

"Master?" asked the Draethos.

"_What is it, apprentice?_"

"Do you think we will survive this battle?" for once, the usually orderly apprentice had a look of worry in his small black eyes.

"_I have a contingency plan_…" he said.

* * *

The ship was in the cruiser's hangar now; the intense lights of the hangar reflected off of the hull of the dark ship with a harsh glare. Everyone in the Fury was in boarding positions and Kiber (Being half Miraluka) could sense that there was at least thirty soldiers surrounding the ship; looks like they had not learned their lesson yet, or maybe they did not know about the destruction of the ship. Now that Kiber thought about it, they wouldn't have had enough time to send a distress signal, let alone any information about the ship that attacked them. They had a different plan this time; the two Mandalorians were going to hide in the secret storage compartment beneath the floor of the ship and the other three were going to exit the ship and fake surrender. This would be easier than Darth Kiber had thought.

"Come out with your hands up!" that was their queue. In a single file line, the three crew members of the ship exited through the ramp with their hands up in the air. Kiber only hoped that they didn't already know how many people were aboard.

"Take their weapons." Commanded the lieutenant. Just as the soldiers went over to relieve the three of their weapons, the two bounty hunters emerged from inside the ship and opened fire on the soldiers; within five seconds ten of the troopers were already dead. Lyn went prone and pulled out her blasters; she hit the lieutenant directly in his forehead and he fell to the hard steel floor. The two sith ripped through their foes like paper and the Mandos shot anyone trying to retreat. They were alone now, with only the whispers of the smoke rising from the plasma markings on the walls to break the silence. Every enemy was dead.

"_Good job…_" lightly complimented the sith lord as he made his way to the hallway door, "_This is eerily similar to last time isn't it Lord Pravus?_"

"Let's just hope we can repeat history, master." He let out a little chuckle and the five of them continued slowly towards the hallway; it was open luckily. Kelann stopped before they continued.

"_There's a console here, if I try hard enough I bet I could get into the ship's core._"

"_Do it…_" ordered Darth Kiber as he walked forward, uncaring if anyone was following or not. The other four imperials waltzed down the empty hallway, not a guard in sight, but then a maintenance worker appeared out of an adjacent hallway. He approached the group.

"Can I help you w-chk-ck-kk-k *Gasp*!" the man's throat had hardly any room to breathe once Kiber had hold of his neck with the force. The dark lord raised him from his feet and pushed him against the wall. He then gave the man some space to breath and the worker let out a very loud gasp.

"_You can tell us which way to the bridge?_" he was not giving the man much of a choice. The man was released from the grasp of the force and he fell to the ground, holding his wringed neck.

"F-Forward for… six intersections… and then left for five…" he fell lower, onto his hands and knees.

"_Thank you._" Kiber swiped his hand through the air and the man fell asleep, knocking his head against the hard floor.

"Ouch!" joked Lyn, "That's gotta hurt!"

* * *

"What in the!?" Shouted Liam, Lymathe was quite startled by his sudden exclamation.

"What!?" he screamed at his brother who seemed unfazed by his abrupt hostility. Liam was looking out towards the horizon to the south east; he could sense immense suffering, and sand people. Lots of sand people, all being snuffed out one by one. He began into a full sprint without warning and Lymathe looked very confused.

"Wait up!"

When Liam and Lymathe arrived on the scene in their full mock-sand-person armor, they had been running so fast that the rags were beginning to unravel themselves. They tightened their wraps as they walked with their jaws wide open behind their masks, in the direction of the grisly scene. A nomadic Ghorfa tribe must have set up camp in the wrong place, because no one was visibly alive. He could not believe what he was seeing; this is what the empire did when you did not cooperate. They murdered the men, the women, and the children… the only connection to the empire was a sole corpse of an imperial trooper amongst the hundred or so other bodies. He could feel the force wailing in despair, in sadness and woe for the souls of the lost. And then he could hear something else… it felt like a sand person, but with a heavy force aura coming off of it. He stepped carefully around the bodies and went into a tent, with a sole survivor cowering inside. A small Ghorfa child, most likely only ten standard years of age was making honking crying sounds in the corner of the tent; the corpses of three soldiers laid beside him with burnt armor – electrical burns. He could sense the child; he was incredibly strong in the force. But he thought that sand people did not have the mental capacity to be force sensitive… maybe that was wrong. He slowly and carefully approached the child; when the boy noticed he was startled at first, but settled after he saw the sand raider armor. He did not speak to Liam verbally; he communicated through the force.

_Who are you?_ He asked the Jedi.

_I am an offworlder that is part of a nearby Ghorfa tribe; what happened here?_

The child looked worriedly up at Liam, _Your mask has no eyes; how do you see?_

_The same way you killed these three men. _The child looked down again and noticed the three corpses on the sandy floor of the tent.

_Is anyone else alive?_ Liam was not sure if he should tell him or not; could he handle the stress of such grim news?

_I am afraid not… _he eventually answered. The sand child did not cry anymore however, for he had no more tears to shed. _You are strong in the force; why don't you come with me?_ Asked Liam

The boy looked up in confusion. _The… Force? _He asked.

_The power that you used to strike these men down, is called the force… come with me and you can make life worth living._ He held his hand out to the orphan and, reluctantly at first, he took it.

_Please, let's get as far away from this place as possible…_ said the sand person. He got up off of the sand and began following his new friend out of the tent.

_What is your name?_ Asked Liam after they had left the tent.

_Ruro'r._ He answered. It would be a long walk back to the village; Liam just hoped they could get there before night fall.

* * *

The four imperial boarders had just finished dispatching another group of troopers, and Kelann called in to let them know that she was almost through the security system of the ship; they needed the help of the defense turrets which were currently powered down. Kiber stepped over the corpse of one of the dead soldiers with both of his sabers ignited; he itched for another battle. Suddenly a feeling of purity cutting through the dark sliced its way into his mind, sending searing pain racing through his head. A Jedi was near, stronger than master Dren, but younger – but she was still very familiar. A Twi'lek, he could sense that… it couldn't be.

"_You three go on ahead, I have some business to attend to…_" and then he walked onward down the opposite hallway towards the light shining in the force. The three others knew not to argue with him and they continued on to the bridge. A fire was burning intensely in his eyes and his heart. _Why did the council take away his powers?_ Was what she said when he first saw her, not to him exactly, but he was in the room. He eventually found himself tearing through the halls at break neck speeds without meaning to. He didn't want to kill her, but to be either rid of her, or with her. She was the only person – other than his brother – that ever stood up to Pohn; she gave him a real hard verbal thrashing from what he saw. He stopped abruptly in mid stride and almost fell to onto his face, as he saw her. She had beautiful green skin with a striped pattern marking her Lekku. He was always quite infatuated with her, she had been his only friend – even then he had only spoken to her on rare occasions. The white and orange of the hall made her stand out in her brown armored robes. She raised her lightsaber and an orange blade grew from the emitter; she stood in a two handed stance.

"_Xu Fane?_" he asked to his opponent, though he already knew the answer.

She lowered her blade and her jaw opened wide in astonishment, his voice was muffled but she could recognize it clearly. "Kiber!?" she was about to let her guard down when she remembered what he had done. She raised her blade back into a strong stance and pointed the tip toward Kiber, "Why did you do it? That's all I've ever wanted to know."

He disconnected his mask and threw it to the ground, "Because, he made my life into a living hell!" she gasped when she spotted the sith tattoo on his face.

"You have changed so much…"

"For the better…" he said with nostalgia. The two warriors ran at each other without saying a word more, they would decide fate with their blades. They had sparred many times in the courtyard and this felt only slightly different; they knew each other's strengths and skills, and their skills were currently quite evenly matched. There was no saber locking, the three swords flashed through the air of the ship and lit sparks as they clashed, making the signature sounds of the ancient Jedi weapon. When Kiber slashed for her head she ducked and got onto her hands; she then did a flip and kicked him in the face, sending him reeling back. He recovered and saw the guardian running at him with lethal intent in her purple eyes. He threw his saber and she blocked it. She watched as the saber landed behind her, but in that moment that she was not paying attention, Kiber punched her in the face and then once in the chest; he almost broke his hand on her breastplate. They both stumbled backward and then Kiber pulled the red saber back to him, almost hitting his adversary; however she did a flip just in time for it to miss her. They went back at it, deflecting each other's blows without a second thought as of what they might do next; it went on for a while before Kiber managed to hit her so hard that she fell onto her back, knocking her blade from her hands. Kiber jumped up with only the silver bladed lightsaber in his hands, and landed on her, but before he could strike her, she grabbed both of his wrists; she was strong. They were at a stalemate, neither of them could move without risking injury.

"Your masters are fools to have trained you like this!" shouted Xu Fane, "But we could still save you!"

"I've already killed Dren; you're next unless you join me!"

She looked tremendously shocked by his claim of defeating his old master. She shook it off and tried not to make this a personal battle.

"Your masters will betray you eventually, then who will play the fool!?" she said in mockery.

Kiber was enraged by her statement, "Artumez was a good master after my Uncle passed, and he will NOT betray me!"

She appeared even more shocked now, and then a smile spread across her green face; a smile of pity and mockery. They continued to struggle against one another as they spoke. "You have no idea…"

"What are you talking about Xu!?" he said with savage eyes.

"A sith named **Artumez** was the man who warned us about your arrival!"


	13. Sith Eat Sith Galaxy

"YOU LIE!" Kiber screamed directly in her face, most likely spitting on Xu Fane's face as well. He pushed his arms down even closer to her now and she struggled to hold him back.

"You should have… Expected… it!" she had to breath in between what she said to keep from loosening up on her enemy.

"I can't accept that!" a tear dropped from his right eye and fell onto Xu's chest plate. It was true; he could barely accept that as fact.

"You know it's… true... Kib'!" that was the name that she always called Kiber by, it pained him to hear it again; so much so that he almost lost his position on her because of his distracted mind.

"I… I know!" he pushed harder towards her now, "But he was my FRIEND! The only person I could trust in the sith!"

"It is… the… destiny of the… sith…" she sounded and looked like she was going to give in soon, "To betray… each other!"

Kiber realized now what he had to do; he got up off of her but did not ignite his other saber, he instead allowed her time to grab her own. She looked at her old friend with inquisitive eyes.

"Why did you… not simply kill me?" she asked as she tried her hardest to stay in a proper battle stance.

"To prove to you that a sith CAN have honor…"

She looked into his yellow eyes and could see the little boy that she had fallen for originally, the innocent, gentle little boy.

"I wouldn't doubt it…" she said as she ran at him again with her saber spraying orange rays of light all around the hall. He darted at her with the knowledge of what he would have to do. Their blades locked for the first time and they pushed back to go again, parrying with all of the dexterity left in their weakened limbs and striking with all of the strength left in their palpitating hearts. Both of the warriors were growing sloppy, and Kiber managed to accidently cut some of the tubes on the wall in half, the lights flickered slightly and the pipe spewed smoke all over their field of battle. He lunged at her and she barely was able to parry, and was too tired to counter his attack. He struck again, and again, and again, and again, and once more. The last stab, she was unable to block; the silver glowing blade of the saber pierced through her stomach and she lurched and gagged on the pain that filled her body. She fell to her hands and knees after Kiber had disengaged his blade, and then rolled onto her back; she breathed gurgling breaths as her eyes moved toward Kiber.

"If you… use your… emotions…" she gasped and went into a coughing fit, so Kiber kneeled beside her body and took her hand, gently, "Remember the most… important emotions… of all…"

He had no more tears to shed for anyone at the moment, but his lip trembled as he spoke in a whisper, "What?"

"Compassion… Love… do not… forget…" her eyes closed and her tentacled head fell to the floor; she was dead. He looked down at the floor, and then his whole body began to quiver in anger, anger at fate and at the force, at everything he ever knew that turned on him, at the galaxy, but most of all; he was angry at Artumez. He looked back up and his irises had turned an even more sickly shade of yellow that was outlined by what seemed like hundreds of red veins that reached all the way to his pupils, into his soul. He would not let anyone else he loved or cared about die, and in his new world of order; they would not have to.

He raised his wrist mounted com-device to his mouth and called all of his four comrades at once, "Lyn, Xaf, Pravus, report back to the ship; Kelann, shut down all of the primary systems on their ship and then get on the fury with the others." He had no time to give an explanation; he was too enraged to give an explanation to anyone about anything. He stood up and then looked down at the body of his Twi'lek friend one more time. He bent down and put both of her hands on her chest in the position of a traditional Jedi funeral, but without the pyre.

* * *

"I don't know if they'll even want him in their village?" said the currently pessimistic Lymathe as they walked toward the North West with the suns setting in front of them.

"Why not?" questioned Liam who had the boy walking closely beside him.

"He's from another tribe right, don't they not like that?"

"That was not proper grammar, and I don't know actually."

Lymathe threw his hands up in the air, "Then we may just be sending this poor boy to his death!" the child looked frightened.

"He can understand basic, shut up!" Lymathe put his hands up defensively, and scoffed.

"Like I was supposed to know."

_I don't like you…_ spoke the small raider.

"Holy crap! Did you just hear that Liam!?"

"No, he must be using the force to talk to you." Liam answered.

"He said he doesn't like me!"

"Well," spoke Liam, "Sometimes I don't like you much either." He said semi-seriously as he walked on and Lymathe fell behind as he stood there confused.

He finally spoke, "What did you just say you little Murglak!?" and then he ran after the two of them. The sand shifted as the winds blew to the south; the destroyed campsite would be buried in the next few days.

* * *

Kiber stared blankly at the camera monitor that pointed to the back of the ship; through it he could see the currently disabled valor-class cruiser as it drifted away slowly. Kelann had disabled the tractor beam, the guns, life support, comms, everything… but that didn't help fill him with any sense of pleasure; could the void ever be filled, even if it was a void that Kiber had forgotten existed. Xu Fane was his best friend, and at times he thought he may have loved her, but they would never have been together, and now it would be truly impossible.

"Kelann…" grumbled Kiber from his sorry state, "Do you know how to change ship ID codes?"

"Of course!" she replied quickly.

"Set this ship up with the codes of an imperial ambassador; we're going to Coruscant."

"Why Coruscant?" asked Xaffaj as his cybernetic eye twisted and turned in its socket.

"Artumez is there, investigating the Jedi temple's ruins…" everyone went silent and looked around at each other.

Pravus spoke first, "Why would we need to find Darth Artumez?" he asked.

Kiber looked up and stared into his apprentice's eyes, "He warned the ship that we were coming; he has betrayed me." Pravus looked genuinely surprised by the news and had to take a step back.

"But… why? You always cooperated with him, we never did anything wrong, Master!"

"He realized how strong I was becoming… he needs to see me gone for good and he had hoped that the republic would do it for him; now I will do away with him and claim his position, a position just below that of the Dark-Council." His limbs trembled with the thought of facing his temporary sith master; it was a glorious feeling of mixed adrenaline and rage.

"This is risky…" Lynaree told her captain, "This may end badly…"

"I know; now get those codes ready!" he commanded to Kelann.

"Yes, sir!" she nodded.

* * *

The tribesmen looked confused as Liam returned through the gate, but with an extra set of feet following him. They walked into the middle of the village and were surrounded by the tribe members who shared their thoughts of misperception.

The Chieftain spoke, _Why have you brought this outsider here, even if he is an Uli-ah!?_ Uli-ah was a word in Ghorfa which meant, Child.

_He is strong in the force, similar to your shamans but to a far greater extent; I will train him to be a Jedi like me._

_NO! You will allow us to train him and make him a shaman! _Liam had hoped it wouldn't have to come to this, but it had to.

"You will allow me to train this boy." Liam said as he waved his fingers through the air.

_I will allow you to train this boy! I am trusting you with this…_ mimicked the chieftain. Liam sighed in relief that he had tricked him with the force successfully.

"Come along." He said to Ruro'r. The small Uli-ah followed after him into Nakari's old hut. The bed was vacant now that Liam's bed was… less so. "You can stay in here okay."

_I understand… why did you say you would train me?_ He asked to the Jedi.

"Because, I will train you and I will make you into a powerful Jedi like me." He gave the small sand person a pat on the shoulder and made his way towards his own hut. When he entered it, he sat down on the bed and began unwrapping his head wrappings connected to his Ghorfa mask. He could still feel the pain that emanated from Ruro'r, he had experienced so much death at such an early age; he would need help to stay on the light side of the Force after something so traumatizing. Yet, he was strong in the face of such tragedy, he had not spoken about it, nor had he cried or mourned for his lost family, but Liam couldn't decide if that was strength, or weakness. Maybe it was both.

* * *

A day later, Kiber's ship remerged from Hyperspace to appear in front of his home planet, the sight of his true death. He had not been living from after the sacking, up until the sobering death of his friend – at his own hands. He would never truly be free to live the life he wanted until after Artumez was dead. Artumez was very strong in the force; however Kiber had so much rage boiling up from deep down in his black heart that there was no way he could lose to such an inferior sith. The ship landed at a spaceport that was not very far from the temple ruins. Kiber directed his friends to remain behind as he began the trek to the taxi. The taxi droid asked for his location, but Kiber simply put a bag of credits in its hands and then waved his own hand; disabling the droid. He hopped in the taxi-speeder and hotwired it so it would fly wherever he directed instead of on the pre-determined routes. It was night time and he made sharp turns and daring dives in his stolen vehicle as he made his way to ground zero. He emerged from the twisting maze of buildings to set his eyes upon the no longer smoldering ruins of the former Jedi-temple. It used to be such a grand structure but now it was little more than what was inside that mattered; the outside of the temple had been completely obliterated. He landed his speeder on one of the many ancient landing pads; he was surprised that no one had yet began construction this close to the ruins; it was the way of Coruscant, demolish the old and ruined to begin anew. Regardless, it would happen eventually. He put his hood up, without his mask, and stepped slowly up the steps to the temples entrance; when he arrived at the entrance he noticed that it had been blocked entirely by the pillars that once proudly supported said entrance. He turned to the side and jumped up the rubble onto the roof of the temple, and then back down the other side into the temple. Imperial troops surrounded the rubble covered first level where the main battle had taken place more than two years ago. In the corner of his vision he saw three people. One was a trooper – nothing strange about that – but the other two were Artumez and his masked human apprentice. Artumez stroked his skin tendrils that hung from his chin as he smiled at the trooper. The trooper saluted, and then walked away; Artumez and his apprentice walked in the opposite direction down a dark secluded hallway. The second level balcony area seemed completely clear of any troops so Kiber ran and made a daring leap onto the balcony that was above his target. He followed them through the hall carefully from above, masking his force power the entire way. They eventually pushed open a door leading to the main sanctum of the Jedi temple, a giant room that had been not as heavily damaged as the rest during the battles. The three of them were alone, and Kiber saw his opportunity to strike was now. He leapt down from his place on the balcony and his dark robes fluttered in the gusts behind him as gravity pulled him to the planet. He landed and ignited both of his sabers. Artumez stopped abruptly when he heard him and then smiled.

"Kiber, what a surprise…"

"I bet it is a surprise!" mocked Kiber, even though he knew that Artumez was not easily goaded into anything.

"I knew it would come to this. Don't send the Republic to do a sith's job." He snapped his fingers and his apprentice snapped to attention.

"Yes, Master." He pulled out a single saber and lit it ablaze with energy; it was a dark crimson like the blood in his veins. Without another word to his master or to Kiber, the young sith rushed at Darth Kiber with his eyes bent on chaos and destruction. This was no human, it was a monster; it was a good thing that Kiber fought especially well against monsters.

"Fool…" said Kiber softly as he awaited his opponent to reach him. The student lunged forward but Kiber simply crossed his swords and pushed the dark apprentice's own blade up before slicing the boy in half; he died instantly. Darth Artumez seemed only slightly surprised at the demise of his student.

"I won't accept any apprentices that are not stronger than you; I have standards, so thanks for thinning the herd just that much more for me." Artumez smiled a sinfully wicked smile that showed his sharp yellow teeth beneath his blood red lips. Kiber raised his silver saber to his adversary and proclaimed a vow to the heavens.

"I will destroy you. I will erase you from the minds of everyone you ever knew, and then I will take your position and title; I will win." He declared in an eerily calming voice. Artumez's smile turned to a frown and his brow arched inward in anger.

"We shall see shan't we?" he ignited his double bladed Lightsaber and put his hood down, "This is where your journey began, this is where it will end!" he decreed. He ran at his former peer and Kiber ran at him. They clashed in a fantastic flurry of light blades flashing through the darkness of the Coruscanti night. Sounds of sabers battering against one another resounded through the gigantic central room in the derelict temple. Whenever Kiber would flick one side of the double-saber up or down, Artumez would flip the other side around as well giving Kiber barely enough time to dodge. They were both very skilled with their blades; Kiber figured it may have to come to a battle of the force eventually. But until then, the marauder kept pushing the sith assassin back into the center of the room, where the skylight shined the cities silver rays upon them. Neither sith would let up nor back down; it was a fight to the death and everything that both of them had strived for was on the line. Artumez snickered and force pushed Kiber a little ways away. He then disengaged his lightsaber and jumped onto a nearby fallen column that leaned up against the wall. Kiber watched as the Pure-blood jumped up to the top of the pillar and broke the glass above it, climbing his way onto the roof; so Kiber followed. When he finally got to the roof, Artumez was standing beside one of the stone spires that hadn't fallen during the sacking.

"Come and get it, whelp!" he said with his arms held out wide. Kiber reengaged both of his lightsabers and ran at Artumez, screaming. They made contact again and sparred back and forth for only a moment before their blades locked together.

"I trusted you!" he screamed as he pushed harder and harder; so hard that Artumez was being forced backwards. "Why did you betray me!?" without noticing it, Kiber had now pushed Artumez up against the spire and continued forcing his blades closer.

"It… Is… the way… of the sith!" he pushed with all of his might so that Kiber went tumbling backwards. Artumez was tired now; he would need to focus all of his energy to—

A giant shockwave hit Artumez like a ton of durasteel, and he was sent flying into the stone spire. He looked up from the crater he had created in the side of the tower and saw Kiber, charging all of his force energy in his hands.

"NO! Stop!" he screamed, but it was too late.

"Die!" screamed Darth Kiber as he shot a pure energy ball of force power at the sith. It made contact with him and then with the spire behind him. The tower shattered into a million pieces of stone and any part of the spire that remained intact began falling towards the skylight, and Kiber. Kiber did not move, he covered himself in the impenetrable armor of the dark side as the tower came down on top of him and then crashed through the skylight, leaving a giant pile of rubble in the center of the temple. After a few moments of silence and the scarce piece of extra rubble falling down, a hand emerged from the pile of debris; Kiber's hand. His other hand came soon after, covered in dust. He popped his head and upper body out of the mound and his usually curtained chin length hair was covered in a thick layer of dust and messed up to the point where it appeared as if he had just gotten out of bed. His bangs were in his face and he couldn't see a thing, he swiped them aside and gazed out at the destruction that the two of them had caused. He pulled his legs out of the mound of dust and rock before limping around to try and find Artumez. He found him only a second later; gasping for air with only the first half of his torso poking out of the heap.

"I… *Cough* *Cough* have underestimated you… Kiber-!" he went into another coughing fit.

"Yes… you have…" said Kiber as he held one side of his chest in pain. He picked his silver lightsaber off of his belt and lit it ablaze with the fires of his hatred for this vile thing that lay before him.

"I… won't be making… *Cough* another mistake *Cough* like that…" he laughed softly. Kiber did not have the capacity for humor right now.

"You're right…" he spoke as he raised his blade, "You won't." and he brought the saber down, slicing through the sith's neck. Was it over, or was this the beginning of bigger problems; for now he would have to settle for knowing that it was necessary to end Artumez's life, and that he would get some more time to think now…

* * *

The Tatooine suns arose over the horizon the next morning and everything was well. Liam got his clothes on and noticed just as he was finished, that Nakari was already gone. He opened the drapes of the tent and said good morning to the many tribesmen and women. He grabbed a rifle and his Gaderffii and walked over to the wall to sit down and guard like he usually did; it was a simple life, but the Ghorfa did it right. He enjoyed the simplicity of it all, how they could survive in such harsh climates and still be happy. Nakari came from behind him and grabbed Liam's empty hand with hers.

"Good morning." She whispered. He was not surprised by things like that anymore; he was used to her sneaking up on him now. He set down his rifle and pulled her down onto his lap.

"Good morning to you to." If they could kiss through their masks, they would.

"…Liam?" she asked with a curious sounding voice.

"What is it?" he replied softly.

"I… I think I want to have a child." Now THIS surprised Liam. He did not know what to say, what do you say to that when you are surrounded by people who never show their skin.

"Are… are you sure? We live with sand people; is that the life you want a child to have?" she looked at him through the slit in her mask.

"They would learn to be tough, and accepting of other cultures; we could teach them about the Jedi, and the sith and-!"

"Shhhh." Hushed Liam, "We can have a child if you want; but what if the council finds out?" he could not see her face, but he could tell that she was smiling.

"We'll improvise…" she said laughing, so Liam joined her…

End Of Act I


	14. On a Chieftain's Honor

3,649 BBY or 4 ATC…

A man and a woman dressed in raggedy clothes began to pack their belongings as imperial guards watched from all angles. They were getting ready to leave their old lives as moisture-farmers behind and find another life on some other planet; they were not sure where, but they would. In order to get off planet, the Imperials offered transport – in exchange for information on nearby sand person settlements, so that they may be eliminated in the name of the empire. They were still in the middle of packing and were certainly made nervous by the numerous guards that stalked their homestead while they prepared to take their leave. From the south, came a sound; a grunting sound – the sound of the Ghorfa language with its intense guttural and phlegm filled growls. It grew louder and louder, so one trooper stuck his head out of the homestead that was built partially into the ground, only to have his brains splattered inside of his helmet from a cycler rifle round. The other troopers rushed over the bank of sand and lasers could be saw flying fast over the house; the man and woman could hear the terrified shrieks from the soldiers as they were torn down by Gaderffii and lasers; rifles and… lightsabers?

A sand raider appeared from over the mound of sand and raised his Gaderffii into the air above him; it was a different looking Gaffi-stick than most. He wore torn and tattered robes with rags flowing from his limbs, on his belt were two lightsabers, but most terrifying of all was his ribcage like chest piece and his eyeless mask; like he was a demon of the sands. A swarm of Ghorfa flooded over the mound and into the settlement on their master's orders and surrounded the couple – they were surprised to even be alive.

The man got to his knees and his wife followed, with their hands in the air. "Please, we don't want to die…" he was shaking in his tattered farmer tunic as the leader of this pack of beasts approached him and grabbed his shoulder, raising him to his feet. The raider did not speak in honks and grunts, instead he said:

"Leave. Now."

The man was shocked, utterly unmoving as he heard the Ghorfa speak words he never thought they could. After only a moment of thought however he figured it was best not to argue with a group of sand people. He grabbed his wife's hand and they ran to their speeder; they went ripping off into the wastes, never to be seen by the sand people again. The leading raider raised his axe headed Gaderffii into the air and made noises of triumph, so his followers joined in gladly. Liam was impressed with himself; although he could not teach the sand people to stop with their violence, he still managed to show them that mercy in the wake of such violence could be just as effective as their usual cruelty. Unfortunately, the original chieftain of the sand people tribe was killed while he was out with the salvage team around a year ago; his final request was that Liam be named the Chieftain of the tribe. Although Liam refused, the chieftain persisted to his last breath with his recommendation, so he took up the mantle. The role had grown on him, and the sand people greatly respected the four outsiders for their help with trading and getting along (Usually, this was an exception) peacefully with the other invaders on their land; unless they were imperial, of course.

Liam called out to his family, commanding all of them to return home with their banthas while he made sure that the troopers were dead and he looked for anything salvageable. The other Ghorfa complied and walked on back to their Banthas, which were at least a half-mile away. He walked down into the homestead and ripped open drawers looking for something of use. He tore apart the entire subterranean building looking for anything, but there was hardly anything.

"I see you have been busy getting to know the locals." Said a voice behind the Watchman. He spun around and held his Gaderffii firmly in both hands toward the man that stood in the shadowy lighting of the room with him; he was in Jedi robes.

"Jorek?" whispered Liam through his mask. The Zabrak looked at his old friend and bowed mockingly toward the chieftain.

"You look so… regal, for a raider." He smiled and brushed his still long hair to the side of his face, his horns made it harder to keep it in place however.

"What are you doing here!?" asked Liam as he leaned in and gave Jorek a big friendly hug; Jorek only embraced him for a moment before recoiling from the stench of his old rags.

"You smell like a year-dead Bantha!"

"When you can't show your skin, it gets hard to do the whole 'Hygiene' thing…"

Jorek just laughed and then grabbed Liam's hand, giving it a firm and sturdy shake. "Will you be showing me to your friends?" he asked to the Miraluka turned Ghorfa.

"Yes, of course, but first; how is Master Dren doing?" asked Liam with eagerness; an eagerness that soon turned to awkward discomfort as his friend refused to answer.

"He…" Jorek tried to hold back his anger, "He was killed, no one knows who did it, but his whole ship exploded while they were on their way to Quesh for peace negotiations with the empire; they found part of his body floating in the salvage…" Liam could barely stand to listen.

"That's horrible! Do… do you have any leads?" he asked with his arms held out in outrage. Jorek just shook his head to the side and shrugged.

"But, enough of that, I have something to tell you so let's get back to your home, yes?"

* * *

"So she just up and left you!? With the kid!?" Lynaree was outraged to hear the news. In the year prior, Kiber had met a beautiful Zabrak sith lord with lovely red skin and sharp horns that cut through her locks of dark hair like light through darkness. They had fallen for each other and decided that if they had a child, (Being two sith) it would be a powerful adept in the dark side. The child was born a male Zabrak with pale red skin and five horns on his head. The couple stayed together for a time, but eventually Kyshwanee, the female sith lord, admitted that she simply wanted him for his seed, so she left with the child.

"Yes!" screamed a fuming Darth Kiber, who had fallen for a trap he should have seen coming; especially after the incident with Artumez. He had built a power base even more fear inducing than his uncle's was when he was a sith lord, and before his soul had been sucked into the void with the rest of the dead sith. His Apprentice, Lord Pravus, had been nearly as successful in his endeavours as well; creating a name across the galaxy for the sith duo.

"What a Bitch!" insulted Lynaree to the sith lord who obviously was not there, "Are you gonna let her take Zajeem, just like that!?" she slammed her hand down on the Dejarik table between the two, and the holographic game pieces ran in fear of being struck with her fist.

"It is all I can do right now; I told her that he was not strong enough in the force for training, but she wouldn't listen to me!" in the empire, all force-sensitive children would be sent to Korriban for training, or suffer death. However, as a Miraluka-Human hybrid, he could sense that his son (Named Zajeem) was not strong enough in the dark side; still she persisted that he could be a great sith.

"You can't just let her do this!" said Lynaree as she stood up from her seat, "She needs to pay!"

"I know… but I can't do anything."

"Yes, you can!" she screamed at him in anger; she had never like Kyshwanee very much and would probably love to get back at her.

"I can't right now, dammit!" he stood up as well and now their faces were nearly touching. As a 'Gentleman' he remembered his manners and sat back down, "I'm sorry…"

Lynaree sighed and sat back down with slouch; this was all very depressing for them. She grabbed Kiber's hand from across the table and patted it with her other hand, "We'll find a way to get him back, eventually."

Kiber shrugged off her touch, "He will be torn apart at the academy, but we still have six more years before he is most likely going to be sent there." He held his head with his right – robotic – hand and sighed, "By then hopefully we'll have a plan."

"Master!" called Pravus from the hallway of the ship; they were currently docked at the spaceport in Balmorra. "I have the man you were looking for!" he dragged a man into the main room of the ship, kicking and screaming. He was dressed in a very patchwork suit of combat armor; a Jedi left over from the war he could bet, still trying to give Balmorra 'freedom'. Pravus grabbed the chained man's neck with his four talon-pronged hand, and threw him to his knees in front of the now standing sith lord.

"The leader of the Local resistance I presume, unless my apprentice was mistaken?"

The dark skinned human remained silent; one of his eyes was swollen shut actually. He was in rough shape.

"The militia members were taking orders from him." Answered Pravus for the prisoner.

"What is your name Jedi?" the Jedi remained silent, "how about I tell you mine, and then you introduce yourself?" the Jedi looked up at his judge, jury, and soon to be executioner; he nodded.

"You might have known me back in the Jedi temple, or heard of me from the masters; The Young Betrayer, the Example, or simply… Kiber…" to this the Jedi made a reply; his reply was his jaw reaching the ground before he spoke.

"You're… Kiber?"

The sith bowed to his Jedi captive, "The one and only… well there was two Kiberans… but that's another story!" he said, trying to add an air of humor to the seemingly grim situation. The Jedi seemed less than pleased with his sense of humor.

"What do you want from me; sith-scum!?" Kiber noticed that for a Jedi he seemed relatively easy to anger, and that could be useful. He approached his captive and grabbed his chin, forcing his eyes up to look at Kiber's tattooed face and into his harrowing yellow eyes. The man seemed only slightly shaken, but he would try his hardest to not give a sith the satisfaction of breaking him before he dies.

"I want… everything." He said cryptically.

The Jedi continued to look at his pale face, "I won't tell you anything…" he snarled through his barred teeth.

"Oh, you will after I'm done with you." And then Kiber was on him, the Jedi had fallen onto his back and Kiber was on top of him with his hand on the man's face; he screamed like a banshee in pain as an agonizing discomfort made its way through every fibre of his being and shook his resolve to the core. Kiber pushed away and got up on his feet once again, but the Jedi was still lying on the ground writhing in pain.

"Tell me your name!" Kiber commanded.

"Jaeret! My name is Jaeret!" he stumbled back up to his knees and bowed forward, resting his throbbing head on the floor in front of him. Sweat ran off of Jaeret's sweat covered head and made a dripping sound as it hit the cold metal floor of the Fury.

"Good man." Mocked the sith lord, "Now will you tell me anything about the resistance, or will I tear it from your mind."

"Chaos take you!" spouted the prisoner. The sith turned his back seemingly to think for a moment, only to spin around quickly with his hands outstretched.

"Suffer!" tendrils of blue lightning shot from his fingers and hit the Jedi. Kiber only shocked him for maybe three seconds before deciding to give him another chance; even then however he was already on the ground convulsing with saliva drooling down the side of his face. Lord Pravus grabbed him by his shoulders and lifted him to his knees once again.

"Will you speak now?" Kiber asked in a calm voice. Jaeret looked up at him painfully.

"Never!" he sneered.

Kiber shrugged and held out his hands again, "This will be a very long night…" he said as he smiled.

* * *

"So this is your tribe…" said Jorek to not anyone in particular as they approached the settlement on Liam's Bantha. The two of them departed from the Bantha's back and made their way to the gate of the village. As he pushed it open the two of them were met with the majority of the villagers, with their weapons out.

_Lower your arms; he is a friend to our people!_ Liam declared in a very omnipotent voice to his tribe mates. The people of the village immediately set down their weapons and went back to whatever they had been doing prior. Jorek however still seemed shaken from the thought of that many sand people set upon him at once.

"Forgive my friends, they are not very trusting." Liam snickered. Jorek just scoffed jokingly and followed him to his hut. When the Chieftain opened up the curtains of the hut he unravelled his head wrappings and set his mask down on the table nearby and grabbed up his eye covering instead. Nakari was sitting on the bed in her usual robes, but in her arms she held a small baby girl, an Echani. Jorek smiled at the infant but then questions flooded into his mind.

"Who's kid is this?" he asked pointing to the baby that was coddled up in very soft fabric, sleeping.

"Oh, well that's… uh… um… we f-f-found her in the wastes after a settlement was destroyed." He continued to stare ahead with his eyeless head toward the other Jedi.

"Oh… and it's an Echani I see…" Liam bit his lip, hoping that he would not say anything, "Wait a second…" crap; Jorek turned his gaze toward Nakari and the baby – Nakari seemed unfazed – and then to Liam who was tapping his foot in the sand.

"What!?" laughed Liam with his arms in a shrugging position.

"You didn't!?" he said in a slightly hushed voice.

"Didn't what!?"

"I can't believe this!" he looked at Nakari, "I thought you were better than this!?" Jorek said to her.

"We're better because of the experience, Jorek! Try it sometime." She said as she went back to tending her child; Jorek was blushing from her suggestion.

"If the council finds out about you two making love when you're supposed to be safe guarding the galaxy… I can't state how bad it would be!"

"You don't need to, we already do." Assured Liam who was now sitting beside his lover and his daughter.

"Then why do you persist!?"

"Go read the original script of the Jedi code, maybe you'll start seeing life my way."

Jorek shook off his arrogance and collected himself, "Well, I'm here to deliver some news…"

"What is it?" asked Liam as he looked down at his baby girl.

"Two years ago, a ship arrived at Coruscant with at least a quarter of its crew dead; they were without primary systems for a few hours, and then they said they had captured a sith vessel but it had escaped." Liam continued to listen with great interest, "It took us a while with all of the crappy, damaged footage, but after cross checking the faces of the people involved we found something; your brother, Kiber." Liam was confused with what he meant about 'finding' Kiber, "He was the one who infiltrated the ship, and then killed… Xu Fane…"

"Xu Fane! She's dead!?" he stood up quickly and it woke up the baby, who began to cry; Nakari lulled it back to sleep with a song and the force.

"Yes, by your brother's hands; he is also responsible for the deaths of at least sixty soldiers, not including the ones that were killed by the lack of life support." Liam could barely believe it; his brother had survived being trapped in the temple as it burned… it did not seem possible.

"Are you sure it's him?" he questioned softly.

"No doubt…" Jorek replied.

Liam took all of it in, or tried to, with a few deep breaths and a shake of his head now and again, "No, that's not possible, he should have died!" he reached out, with the force, and searched the galaxy, searched for his brother with every ounce of power that had been bestowed upon him; nothing, it was like Kiber did not exist to the force.

"It's true Liam, I'm sorry," Jorek paused for a moment and then spoke, "We may need to eliminate him; these are desperate times." Liam wasn't sure if he could accept that. It was one thing for Kiber to have died in the fire and rubble, but to have to actually allow someone to kill his brother… he could not come to terms with that.

"We can still save him, can't we?" he asked the Zabrak hopefully.

"I'm afraid not; he is… he's already a Darth so there is little hope for him to return to the light…"

"A Darth!? Kiber is a Darth!?" he felt flustered; disturbed even, to hear such news. Kiber was never that powerful, he could not have made the position of a sith master already. Liam had defeated him and he was not even a knight yet; how formidable could he have grown in four years?

"He has an apprentice, a ship with a full crew, the whole nine parsecs!" Jorek was always honest, but just this once Liam hoped that it was some sort of sick joke. "Me and Ardernus are docked in Anchorhead if you want to come look for him; the council has already given permission for you to leave Tatooine if need be."

Liam found himself considering going with him. He looked to Nakari, the love of his life, for permission. She gave a nod and looked at him with caring eyes.

"If you need to go," she said, "Go. Lymathe, Bruudar and I will take care of things here."

"What about Ruro'r?"

"Who's Ruro'r? Asked Jorek.

"My Padawan, he's a Ghorfa."

"What!? You took a Padawan without permission from the council!?" Jorek was sure he would find a few things different with Liam, but this was a drastic change from the Liam that he once knew.

"He was force-sensitive and I didn't want the tribesmen making him into a shaman, so I made him my Padawan."

Jorek rubbed his tired eyes and sighed, "Take him along, if he wants to come…"

"R… Really?"

"Sure, if he understands basic."

Liam smiled, "Oh, don't worry," he said, "He can speak it too."


	15. A Sith's Form of Mercy

The Anchorhead spaceport was not high on upkeep. The whole exterior of the port itself was covered in sand from the storms which frequented the area (The whole damned planet, actually) and the inside of the port would not be considered much better, no matter how low someone's standards may be. Astromech droids with shabby paint-jobs rolled up and down the hangar, repairing ships. Smugglers and Bounty Hunters patrolled all around, waiting for their next job or their next drink. The whole spaceport was practically run on illegal business, so guards were almost non-existent, and the guards that were on duty in the port did nothing to stop anything criminally related. Liam and Jorek both received strange looks from the lowlifes that lined the halls near the hangar bay, but it was Liam's Padawan, Ruro'r, that received the strangest looks. As he was only twelve, he still wore the garb of an Uli-ah; however with a bit of Jedi style thrown in, such as a hood, robe, and some armor. The Ghorfa of the tribe thought it strange to outfit a child in this way, but Liam knew that as a Padawan traveling with his master that he would face danger that required protection. The people of Anchorhead seemed confused by the sudden appearance of a sand person child in their city, but since he was being escorted by two Jedi knights no one said a thing against it. Jorek pressed a button on the console beside a giant hangar door and it opened to reveal the Defender-class Jedi transport; which Ardernus was more than capable of piloting. Ruro'r looked onward in awe at the piece of machinery that sat before him; it was enormous compared to him. He had never completed his trials, but he imagined that a Krayt Dragon would be at least this big, if not bigger.

_Is that your ship?_

"Yep, do you like her?" motioned Jorek with his hand toward the defender; he did not seem too surprised that the first words that the Padawan had spoken the whole journey were telepathic.

_It is a she?_ He said in confusion. Jorek laughed and grabbed the raider's shoulder.

"All ships are, boy." He patted him on the back and then continued to his ship; he knocked on the door hard with his fist five times.

"Open up, Ardy!" the sound of footsteps could be heard from inside of the ship and then the loading ramp came crashing down onto the dirty hangar floor. A man walked out of the entrance to the ship in full white and orange armor; he took off his helmet to reveal his blonde hair and… burnt, complexion. The doctors were right when they said the scars would never heal, Ardernus's face was still harshly marked from his battle (If one would rather not call it a massacre) with Darth Malgus and his eye patch looking cybernetic eye stuck out on the scorched left side of his face with its metallic surface.

"Good to see you again, Master Jedi!" he put his hand to his forehead in salute.

"At ease… um… what rank are you now?" Liam asked.

"Lieutenant, sir."

"I said: at ease." Liam jokingly threatened the soldier, whom began to laugh.

"Sorry about that… well, climb on board." Ardernus looked over to see Ruro'r, "What is that?" he pointed questioningly.

"This is my apprentice; my Padawan, Ruro'r."

_It is an honor to meet you, Lieutenant._ He spoke, telepathically.

Ardernus jumped back in surprise and looked around the hangar for the source of the small voice. "Did anyone else hear that?"

"Oh, that was most likely Ruro'r. He cannot speak other languages; being a sand person and all, but he can use telepathy." Jorek explained.

Ardernus still looked quite frightened by this creature that could speak through its mind, but he proceeded regardless. "Well… get in, I guess?"

* * *

"My Patience wears thin, Jaeret." Darth Kiber paced leisurely back and forth while he waited for the Jedi to break from the constant Torture. Sometimes Kiber wondered to himself how it had gotten this far out of hand, how he had fallen this far. He would do anything necessary to have control of the whole galaxy, to bring order; which meant he needed power, and if he needed to make some sacrifices in the process then so be it. The galaxy was a truly messed up place in a very poor state of affairs. Perhaps this one Jedi could bring him at least an inch closer to realizing his goal.

The Jedi was hunched over forward on the floor of the fury and repeatedly coughed up blood at constant intervals; he must have been sustaining himself with the force, "As… does mine, Darth." He coughed another time and his head twitched violently three times. He had almost reached his limit.

"I just want information on the Resistance; base locations, troop movements, rosters, suppliers, anything!" he walked over and grabbed the Jedi by the mouth, "I will not hesitate to kill you if it comes to it."

The Jedi managed a slight smile and wheezed a few times as if trying to laugh, "There is… no death… there is the-!" he received a swift punch to the side of his jaw from the sith lord. Jaeret fell to his side now and cried out in pain.

"I will show you DEATH!" Kiber exclaimed. Pravus decided that his master might be taking the interrogation too far, so he stepped in.

"Master," the sith looked to his apprentice with his rage filled eyes, "I would advise that you cease your torture before you end up killing him."

Kiber's breathing began to slow and he slowly regained his grip on the situation; if Lord Pravus had not stepped in he would have certainly killed the Jedi. "Thank you, Pravus; I was not myself for a moment there."

"Are you sure… you have ever… been yourself?" the Jedi questioned.

Kiber, who had just calmed down, slowly turned his head to face his victim, "What did you just say?" he asked as he slowly swaggered over to the Jedi who could barely pick himself up off of the floor. Pravus was worried now; Kiber always acted like this when he 'Snapped', which meant that Jaeret would not be living for much longer.

"Ever… since you joined the sith… have you ever… been yourself?"

"You are treading on thin ice, Runt." Kiber tried to restrain himself as much as he could, but he would hit a breaking point eventually.

"My masters… they told me… about you…" he coughed a few times before he continued, "you could have been… a great Jedi Guardian or even a sentinel, strong with a blade… but weak in your control of the force…" Pravus dared not intervene at this point, because he would surely be caught in the crossfire that was to come, "Tell me, how… how have you become so powerful? Is it because you were so weak that… that you gave into the darkness?"

"I suggest you stop running your mouth…" Kiber warned.

"No, you… need to hear this," he breathed and then continued, "You took a direct route… to power, but that route does not lead to true power…" Kiber was at the edge, and ready to jump, "It leads… to your own destruction."

"Goodbye, Jaeret." Kiber quickly whipped out his saber and slashed through the Jedi's neck; decapitating him. Lynaree, who had been sitting off to the side, gasped in horror.

Pravus spoke first, "What in the Emperor's name are you doing!? We needed him!" Kiber turned to his apprentice and gave him an eerily passive look.

"Then we will just need to take a more direct approach…" he said as a smile crept up his face.

* * *

Ruro'r stared off into the endless tunnel of light that was hyperspace with great interest. What had he been missing back on Tatooine? Was this what the universe looked like to everyone else? It was very rare to find a sand person that was not on Tatooine, most of them were bounty hunters or exiles. But a Ghorfa Jedi was probably unheard of to anyone, maybe even the Jedi council that Liam had told him so much about. He wondered if the other Jedi of the galaxy would accept him, or if he would be shunned like the rest of his species often is. Liam came into the cockpit to witness his Padawan sitting in the co-pilot chair beside Ardernus, who was completely focused on sleeping while they were still in hyperspace.

"What are you doing up here?" he said; Ruro'r was startled by the voice that he had not expected.

_Nothing, master._ He said as he turned back to the window of the cockpit and continued staring endlessly into the void.

"I'm going to go have a chat with Jorek, will you be alright up here with Ardy?" he asked.

_I will be fine._

"Alright." With that, Liam walked into the holoprojector room and sat down beside his old friend who was lounging on the couch.

"Jor, you have not told me where we are going." He said to the Zabrak, who brushed his hair to the side and let out a sigh.

"We're going to convene with the council; meanwhile you will be meeting privately with Master Satele."

"Why do we need to meet privately?" Liam inquired.

"A psychiatric evaluation, since you might be having a hard time dealing with your brother."

Liam stood up abruptly and gave a look of offense, "I'm completely fine, I don't need this!"

"Your attitude says otherwise, Liam." Jorek pointed out. Liam sat down and put his face in his hands.

"Fine; to Tython I guess…"

* * *

Darth Kiber realized that it had been a long while since he had stepped foot upon the soil of Balmorra, the war torn planet was not as he remembered at all. Instead of forests and plains, he was greeted with the raggedy cliffs and dirt plains that hid underneath all of the foliage that was previously there. Brown and grey were most obviously the dominant colors amongst its pallet. The party of five walked through the battlefield that had been recently cleared out of resistance members, on their way to where there have been reports of large amounts of rebel troops. Kiber only hoped that he would find their hidden base there.

"_Hey, Bro; what's the plan when we get there?_" Xaffaj asked. Kiber did not turn to face his brother as they walked through the ruins of destroyed buildings.

"_We are going to burn everything, and find information._"

"… _That's pretty straight forward._" Xaffaj shrugged. Kiber put his hood up for no particular reason, so his apprentice followed suit and put up his own hood; Pravus figured it was for intimidation value.

After an hour of foot travel, they came upon a crevice in between the cliff faces leading to their destination, so they went through hoping to catch the enemy by surprise. Kiber led the way and therefore reached the exit of the crevice first, only to behold one of the rebels many bases of operations. This one was relatively small compared to other ones he had heard about from the troops back in the garrison. Just outside the crevice was a lone man with a rifle in his hands; it dropped to the ground as soon as Kiber had placed his silver lightsaber through his shoulder blades. He did not cover the man's mouth; he wanted to cherish every final gasp for air and every pathetic attempt of crying out to his friends for help.

"_He was never the stealthy type was he?_" asked Kelann as Kiber pulled his sword out of the man's back.

"Nope." Lynaree confirmed. Kiber ignited his red lightsaber as the other militia men in the base turned to face the invader. Xaffaj saw this as his queue to move so he jet packed his way up to the rock face above him and released a rocket from his wrist mounted launcher; it hit in between two of the soldiers and sent them both flying. One even hit an adjacent soldier. Kiber used this opportunity as a distraction so he could deliver a few death blows before the troops began shooting at him. He was gone in a flash and landed before a resistance trooper who had no time to react as Kiber tore his torso in half with a single swipe. He went on to the next soldier who let off a single bolt from his rifle that was ultimately blocked by the sith lord. He force pushed him into another soldier and the two of them seemed to be unconscious as they fell to the ground. Kiber threw his saber aft and slit a soldier's throat with it; the rebel never saw it coming. Pravus was opposite him, picking up soldiers with the power of only one arm and throwing them hard against the rocks while he continued to stab and slash at others. The soldiers never stood a shadow of a chance against the five interlopers. Kiber ignored the remaining soldiers as he assumed that the rest of his group would take care of them; he walked over to the door made out of patches of metal hastily slapped together, and pulled it apart with the force. He walked into the caverns of the rebel base and did not wait for his friends to follow; if they came then they came; if not, then he could still handle it by himself with relative ease. He walked through the cavernous tunnels that the rebels had dug and dispatched every living thing he saw in a flash of furious silver and red light; until he reached a room of interest. The republic had long moved on to using bacta instead of kolto to heal the wounds of their soldiers, but this room had crates of kolto, some even open. On top of one of the crates was a holographic clipboard with a note opened on it. Kiber walked over and examined the Kolto, and then grabbed up the board.

"_So… their getting shipments from Manaan… but the Selkath stopped selling Kolto a long time ago?_" this made no sense, and it certainly required further investigation. Xaffaj came up behind the sith and put his pistols back in their respective holsters.

"_What's next?_" he asked.

"_Plant bombs all over the base, and then report back to the ship; we have work to do._"

* * *

"How are you feeling?" Satele asked. There was only one source of light in her chambers right now, the light through the blinds on her window and it was hard to see in the mostly dark room; not that it mattered much to a Miraluka. The two Jedi sat on the ground with their legs crossed.

"I am fine, master. What is this about?"

"We have been told that Kiber is still alive, and we would like to see how you are coping with that."

"I am fine." He had to stop himself from snarling at her; he was not angry at her, but at the situation.

"It does not seem that way… how is Nakari?" Satele asked.

Liam almost flinched at the question, "She is doing well; we left her back on Tatooine."

"To continue the mission?"

"Yes, master."

"… I sense that there is something troubling you." Satele said with a raised eyebrow. There was something troubling him, the fear of what would happen if the council found out about him and Nakari. Would they take away Arderna? (They had named their daughter after Ardernus; it was a long story) or would they strip him of his powers like they had with Ulic Quel-Droma? He could hide his thoughts all he wanted, but the masters would still know that something was not right.

"Nothing is troubling me; it is only that I do not want to face my brother again, Master." Satele held up her hand.

"Please Liam, call me Satele; you have known me for a long time."

"I'm sorry Satele, it's just…" he almost let his tongue slip for a second; he was lucky he reacted so quickly before he could have told about-

"You have a daughter don't you?" Satele inquired. Liam's entire face began to turn paler than it had ever been. What could he do? She knew the truth somehow and he could not deny it; that would only make things worse.

"Y…Yes, Satele, I do…" He replied with his head down to the ground.

"Is Nakari the mother?" Liam slowly nodded his head. Satele did not react in the way he thought she would.

"What is the girl's name?" Liam looked up now; she did not seem disappointed, not even a hint of emotion showed through her facial expression.

"… Arderna… we named her after Ardernus because of that business on Alderaan a few years back…" he giggled a bit and then continued, "I joked to him after he saved my sorry hide that I would name my child after him, and when I remembered that after she was born we decided that it wasn't a bad name." Satele laughed a bit from under her slight smile and shook her head.

"Is she strong in the force?" she asked.

"Not overly, no… I don't think I would send her in for training." Satele remained silent for at least half a minute before she spoke.

"I will keep this hidden from the rest of the Council…" Liam's mouth gaped open in surprise, "but you must not let this interfere with your mission."

"Why… Why would you let me off without punishment?" he asked. Satele sighed.

"If it were not for the temptations of Jedi, I would not be here. Your daughter could play an important role in the galaxy, so I see no need for punishment."

"Th… Thank you."

"It is no problem, you can leave. I'll tell the other members of the council that you are fit for duty, but do not let this happen again." Liam dared not speak another word; he got up from the floor, bowed, and then left out the door he had entered through. He breathed an enormous sigh of relief and went to the council chambers to see what the others were doing. He walked up the grand staircase and saw his Padawan and Jorek standing outside of the chambers. Jorek waved to him and he waved back; suddenly the force undeniably entered his mind and implanted in it, a map. A star map. On the map, for only a split second, it highlighted the 'Pyrshack' system and the planet Manaan that circled the star. His mind could barely handle such direct interference from the force, he felt like he was going to drop to the floor. So he did.


	16. Shameless

Darth Kiber walked further into the caverns to see Xaffaj's progress. He had placed a bomb on every second support beam in the cave. He was going to go further until he saw Xaffaj running towards him. He tore off his helmet and hooked it on his belt. Sweat was running down his face like rivers of clear water.

"We need to move; place is rigged and set on a ten minute timer!"

Kiber crossed his arms and shook his head, "_We were supposed to detonate it remotely. Why did you set the timer!?_" he inquired.

"Because; it's more fun that way."

Kiber moaned with frustration before turning towards the tunnel leading to the exit, "_We'd better leave now._" He motioned for the bounty hunter to follow him and they both ran off down the hall to escape before the explosives did what they were meant to do. Both Kiber and Xaffaj stopped immediately when they noticed that two Jedi were blocking the fastest escape route. Finally, a challenge for him.

"_Xaf, go around the other way; I will handle this._"

"I'm not gonna argue with that!" Xaffaj sprinted back the way he came, in pursuit of another exit. The two Jedi – both of which wore brown robes – disrobed their cloaks and sat them on the ground. The master was the same size as the Padawan (Although with a beard and appearing much older); his under-robes were long and flowing, they were that of a Jedi Shadow and he brandished his Blue double-bladed lightsaber as proof. The apprentice was a human just like the master and wore light robes not dissimilar to his master's. He revealed his Cyan colored blade and held it to his side.

"We know what you are, Sith." The master said calmly while he raised his double-saber forward to taunt his opponent, "Will you come quietly." He offered the sith a chance to surrender although he knew what the answer was from the beginning.

"_I would rather you two surrendered so that I may slit your throats without hassle!_" he smiled beneath his mask and mocked them with his unmoving arrogance. Kiber shrugged off the black cape he had been wearing and removed both of his blades from his belt. As he ignited his laser swords the Padawan seemed to be excreting a large amount of fear. Perhaps he could twist this apprentice to his advantage in this fight, "_Fear is a worthy ally, and it would be wise of you to heed its warning…_" the Padawan's lip began to tremble; he couldn't have been any older than sixteen.

"Do not listen to him Uran, we can defeat him." The master seemed overly sure of himself in Kiber's eyes. He could sense that the master was a well-trained Jedi, because not a single iota of fear or anger resonated from him.

"I know, master." The three duelists walked toward each other and met only three feet apart.

"_Are you prepared to accept your fate?_" Kiber teased at the Jedi. The master raised his weapon behind him in a traditional double-blade stance and his Padawan 'Uran', was in the predictable Jedi-Ready stance. Without notice or even a hint of warning the sith struck forward with one of his weapons and circled it around to try and make contact with his other. Kiber's attempt to trip-up the master was thwarted by the man's connection to the force; he could see what would happen next. All Jedi had this ability but this particular Jedi was very fast. The Padawan and Master pushed Kiber further down the hallway as he blocked each of their attacks; he was not in an offensive position at the moment and would have to put up with the barrage of attacks. They exited the hallway with their lightsabers flashing and vibrating with energy as they clashed together in a colorful blaze of light against the rock surface of the cave. Kiber force pushed the Padawan back and swung his legs through the air to his right; he made contact with the master's face using his left foot. He recovered quickly enough that he could block Kiber's downward slash as Kiber sliced down with both of his weapons. The master pushed him back with the hilt of his weapon and looked over to see his apprentice stumbling to his feet, trying to recover from the force blow. The two masters went back at it in a flurry of glaring bright lasers that sent sparks flying feet away. Their battle led them over to a platform with a small staircase leading up to it; on it was a console. The Sith lord pushed the Jedi back with his blades and forced him up the stairs; he had no other place to go now. As they reached the top of the platform, Kiber could sense that the teenager was to the back of him and placed one of his blades behind him, effectively blocking the child's side-ways slash. He returned to simultaneously fighting both the teacher and his student at once; they could not seem to get a single hit in on him. The Darth dodged and parried each move with the precision of a hummingbird; and pushed the master forward toward the metal railing as the Padawan continued to try and help his master; it was all to be in vain. In an instant of distraction for the Jedi master after Kiber had spun him aft with an attack, Kiber electrified his silver saber in his right hand and struck the Padawan's saber with it; it created a shockwave of force energy that sent the teen reeling back from the battle. Kiber turned back to the other Jedi and sent a flurry of fast paced attacks in his direction; he was barely able to block as he was pushed into the railing. The Jedi Master went to block a head shot from Kiber's left blade, but Kiber turned his own blade off, allowing his hilt to bypass the other saber and then he reengaged it right before the man's face. The bearded master flinched to the side and only received a burn to his face. This was the true distraction however; Kiber deposited his silver lightsaber in the Jedi's breast and scoffed in triumph whilst the human master continued to gasp for the air that could not reach his lungs.

"NOOOOO!" screamed the Padawan in sorrow, as his master was undone.

"Be… Strong…" murmured the Jedi just before Kiber mercilessly took his head off with his other saber. The Padawan named Uran was obviously trying to conceal his anger from the Lord, but it showed clear as day. Kiber disengaged both of his blades and walked over to the apprentice that still sat flat on his backend. As he slowly made his approach, Uran scooted himself backwards in an attempt to escape Kiber's wrath. He scurried backwards until he hit the stairs; he could not feel his legs so running down the stairs was not an option. Kiber put away his red saber, grabbed the youth by his throat and lifted him off of the ground.

"_Do you wish to join us; may I ask before I kill you?_"

"NEVER!" he replied angrily. Kiber sensed that he could be a great threat; Jedi or not.

"_Is that the choice you will take to the grave?_" he countered.

To Kiber's surprise, the Jedi remained by his decision, "I would… never shame… my Master!"

"_Then you shall join him!_" in one swift motion of his hand, he snapped the boys neck and threw him to the floor using his one free arm. The boy's mangled body flopped to the metal platform like a ragdoll and he grabbed the Padawan's lightsaber from his cold hands. Kiber took a moment to gather his thoughts, which was when he remembered about the bombs. He turned to see one of the bombs, and it had only thirty seconds left on its red digital clock. He hesitated only for a moment before he engaged in a full-out sprint to the exit. He jumped out of the cave and rolled onto the dirt, just as the explosives activated. The cavern entrance collapsed on itself and Kiber watched with satisfaction as the dust settled around him. He looked down at the Padawan's saber that he had grabbed up; it was the proof he needed to confirm that there was Jedi involvement on Balmorra and in the resistance itself. Kiber slowly took off his mask and steam rushed out from behind the pressurized metal covering. His face was drenched in sweat and his hair was greasy. He held up the Jedi's lightsaber, and then something showed inside of him: Mercy. He watched as – almost as if he were dreaming, as if he was not doing it by choice – he sent surges of electricity rushing through the saber over, and over, and over, until it was actually vibrating with dark force energy. He chucked it into the air and it exploded into a few thousand pieces; there would be no evidence now.

"He had more integrity than I…" he said. For the entire walk back to the city he continuously questioned to himself why he would destroy the evidence he needed; there was no way to prove that Jaeret was on the planet so he can't use his lightsaber, but he could have shown that Padawan's saber to the local guard and then FINALLY the dark council would send more troops to Balmorra. He had done it for the same reasons that he had fought Xu Fane on equal terms for, out of honor, and respect; two very Jedi related traits. Perhaps he could never truly be done with the ways of the Jedi, but he hoped to someday prove that wrong.

* * *

"MANAAN!" shrieked Liam as he bolted into an upright position. He was on his bed in the quarters of the ship; they must have already taken off. He looked around with the force, keeping his head unmoving as he sensed to check if anyone else was near; someone was right outside of the door. He got out of his bed (He was still in his usual robes) and opened the door to see Jorek, asleep in a crouched lean against the wall. He must have been checking up on Liam regularly if he just decided to fall asleep right there. Liam left him in his awkward pose and returned to the room.

He remerged ten minutes later with a new set of robes on; he had put his old ones in the closet and attached a note to them – it read 'Do not clean'. Liam's new attire was similar to that of his old robes, but almost completely bleach white. He joked to himself for a moment, wondering if he could get rid of stains with the force. He left the Jedi shadow on the floor and walked over to where he could sense his sabers, down the hall. He grabbed them off of a side table and then continued to the cockpit where Ardernus was asleep in the pilot's seat. They were in Hyperspace. Liam approached the napping vanguard and tousled his hair with his hands; he woke up.

"What? Huh? Wuh? Oh, it's you!" he said rubbing the scarred side of his face.

Liam sat down in the co-pilot seat and turned to Ardernus, "Ardy. We need to go to Manaan."

The trooper looked confused, "But the masters said that he was last sighted by republic scouts on Balmorra!"

"The force showed me something; we MUST go to Manaan." The trooper put his head down into his right hand and released an exaggeratingly long sigh.

"Why do I always listen to you?" the trooper grabbed a lever on the console and slowly pulled it toward himself. In a few seconds they had emerged from hyperspace and were obviously out in the middle of space in an uncharted location. They were not even close to a star system. "Okay, punch in those coordinates; let's do it."

"I owe you one!"

"Hey," Ardernus pointed at Liam with his index finger, "what about how you promised you would name your kid after me!?" he burst into laughter and noticed that Liam was laughing very awkwardly.

"Funny you should mention that…"

* * *

"You are stronger than I thought master; when Xaffaj told us what had happened I wanted to run in and help you."

"I am glad you decided against it Pravus, it was a good fight." Kiber giggled a little and then began chugging down a bottle of spirits from some far off planet he had never heard of.

"I can go get some meds if you're hurt?" Lynaree offered. Now that someone mentioned it, he could feel a slight pain in his left ribs; possibly from when the Jedi managed to force him back with his hilt – it went right into his ribs.

"Yes, thank you." She scurried off around the corner.

"Sounds like you had fun." Commented Kelann.

"I enjoyed it quite thoroughly, I must admit. Who doesn't love a good fight?"

"I wish to spar with you once we return to Korriban, Master." Pravus said from under his overbite. Kiber stood up and took another swig of the intoxicating liquid.

"We're not going directly to Korriban, first we need to go to Manaan."

Xaffaj asked first, "Why Manaan; all the cities have been abandoned by the Selkath?"

"Because, I found proof that the rebels are getting supplies of Kolto from Manaan; I don't know how, but they are."

Lynaree returned with a medical kit, and Kiber knew the procedure. He stripped his upper body armor and laid it down beside his seat. Lynaree reached into the kit and produced a needle full of a clear light-blue liquid.

"Where does it… hurt?" she hesitated; her attention was obviously occupied by his masculine physique.

"Left ribs; fifth rib down." She injected it and Kiber bit down on his tongue as the giant needle pierced his flesh and released the bacta into the wounded area. She then took a cloth and dabbed it in another liquid which Kiber assumed was, again, bacta. She began rubbing his ribs and he tried not to laugh as her cold hands tickled his sides. When they were done and Kiber had his armor back on, they looked at each other. They noticed that; firstly, they were both sweating like womprats in a microwave and; secondly, everyone was looking at them weird.

"Uh… thank you!" he said in a rush to the Twi'lek.

"Don't… mention it, Kiber." She stuttered and then walked away. He was amazed that she decided not to call him, 'Sith-face' or 'sithy' or any other strange name that she could come up with for him. Just Kiber.

* * *

After only a day in hyperspace they materialized right beside their planet of destination. Kiber prepared himself and reattached his mask to the large metal covering on the back of his head; it slid into place and the mask covered his face. Steam rose from the space in his mask and covered his visor for a moment before it un-fogged itself for him. He readied both of his lightsabers and threw on his black robe and set the hood atop his head. His visor was of striking resemblance to a Mandalorian visor, but the mask itself was more intricately designed. His new armor he had fitted for him earlier that week had been sitting in his wardrobe, waiting for him. His new sith garb consisted of a more tight fitting set of chest plates; covering both the breast and abdomen. His legs were more lightly armored and his arms were covered with high tech gauntlets and layered metal shoulder plates. He turned to his apprentice who stood with him in the cockpit.

"_You and the others will stay here; I do not need you on this mission._"

"As you wish, my master."

They stood there while Lynaree set the ship down in one of the many abandoned metal hangars that lined the empty ruined metal halls of Ahto City. Kiber stepped out of the ship without a single word spoken to anyone else. His boots clattered against the metal hangar floor while he walked with intent towards the hangar exit. He stepped out into the hall and saw that much of the original city had been destroyed as a result of the great galactic war. He was surprised that it was still floating, even if only parts were floating. He forced a door open using the force and peered out at the endless ocean. Kiber treaded lightly as he stepped forward into the half-sunken city; he could sense a presence. He looked up and noticed that a storm was coming from the north, but that was not what he sensed. He could feel that men, humans mostly, were nearby, and he could smell kolto. He tilted his head around the metal wall and saw three men, loading kolto onto a ship. This was where they were getting the kolto; they were using any kolto that the Selkath did not sell before the attack. Kiber had no need to find out who orchestrated the operation; he just wanted it to be done with. Kiber approached the man and stood behind him, but he did not notice so Kiber tapped his shoulder. He turned around and his lips parted as he was about to say something. Kiber ignited his saber into his chest before he could, but the others saw him. It was not as if he could not handle them; he simply did not want to. Kiber tore his blade from the man and held it at his side. The man fell to the cold wet floor.

"Surrender!" spouted one of the other men as the two of them grabbed their rifles.

"_That's funny._" He said, unmoving.

"Then we'll kill you!"

"_That's even funnier._"

The rebel seemed to be getting annoyed, "I said you'd better surrender or I'll chk-k-k-k-k ach-k-k-k!" Kiber had picked the man up off of the ground with the ease of the force and squeezed the man's neck with the air around him.

"_Pathetic…_" Kiber threw the man against the wall; hard. His friend flew into a panic and ran for the door on the other side of the room. He was met with a piece of metal to the back of his head that Kiber had thrown. That was easier than he thought, but now he would have to check the rest of the ruined city. Just then a Selkath came around the corner. He spoke in his usual raspy fish language, but Kiber understood him perfectly.

"Who are you? What happened here?" Kiber ignored his questions and pulled the alien toward himself with the force. When the Selkath was in his hands he forced him to the ground by his neck and ignited his saber.

"_What are the Selkath doing back on dry land?_"

"A group of us has been helping the war effort on Balmorra! Please don't kill me!" he pleaded as he tried to get the sith's hands off of his neck.

"_You know too much… I'm sorry._" He was not sorry as he brought his blade down and the alien tried to scream for help. His silver blade was blocked however by another silver blade.


	17. A City in Ruin

Liam pulled back on his weapon so as to get it away from the Selkath man's face. As soon as the sith's blade had been pulled back enough the alien ran and dived into the ocean. Kiber disengaged his lightsaber and jumped back to avoid Liam's strike. The storm was getting closer.

"_So, you have found me, brother!"_ Kiber held his hands toward his sibling as if to receive something; Liam stood with a straight face as his robes blew gently in the wind.

"Why are you still alive?"

Kiber reignited his saber and put it to his side; _"Because I wasn't finished yet…"_ he chuckled and stepped forward slowly. Liam did not backup in response; he stood his ground.

"You could have been… a great Jedi. Did you know that?" said Liam as a lightning bolt struck the water in the distance, the storm would be upon them soon enough. Kiber spread his arms wide and raised them to the sky.

"_Look at this city! This city reminds me of myself…"_ Liam waited for his brother to elaborate, _"We have both been torn down, but yet we remain afloat. Maybe one day this city can even be rebuilt, but not if I can stop it first!"_

"You can't make me believe that you exist solely to destroy; you were a good kid! What happened to the Kiber that I knew!?"

"_Maybe he did die." _Kiber said as he crossed his arms, _"Maybe I'm what is left; the remains of his previous self – or maybe this was me all along."_

Liam took his blue saber and lit it ablaze as another bolt of electricity struck the ocean not even a mile away, "I know you're still in there…" he readied himself in a dual saber stance that he had developed himself using a hybrid of different stances he had learned from the masters. He spread his legs behind and in front of himself; left foot forward.

"_Oh, I'm here alright…" _The sith ignited his other saber as well now, but stood in a very passive position, _"I've been here since the beginning!"_

Kiber charged Liam and struck out at his brother with all of his fury. Liam blocked every attack without breaking stance, and Kiber was becoming visibly frustrated; Liam could tell by the way his brother was attacking so hastily. Liam pushed his brother back from a parry and decided now was as good a time as any to engage in Ataru as he had only one opponent, and a difficult opponent he would be. He raised both of his sabers to chest level and then flipped through the air like a whirlwind of blue and silver. Kiber was not prepared for this aggressive of a style from a Jedi, but he could adapt. The two of them blocked one another's attacks as they were pushed out onto the walkway behind Kiber that had sunken partially into the water. As their lightsabers collided back and forth the water around them was kicked up into the air by the sheer speed as the blades sliced through the air. Liam attacked with blinding speed, and the force allowed him to know exactly what his opponent was going to do. Kiber was prepared for his force insight however, and continued to block every strike. Kiber parried his brother's slash and then stepped back quickly; Liam watched as his brother turned and ran into the metal building. He began to chase after him, but noticed a rain drop that landed on his cheek; the storm approached. Electricity smashed the water from the sky and lit up the ocean in a light show unlike Liam had ever seen. He focused back on his purpose, and ran into the building. Kiber was waiting atop a metal staircase.

"_Come, brother – death will not wait for us!"_ he taunted to the Jedi. Liam did not show emotion as he reignited his sabres and ran up the stairs. The two brothers clashed once again and spun their blades around one another's in a brilliant display of swordsmanship. Kiber accidently hit the latch to a windows blinds and it fell, blocking their only reliable source of light. It was pitch black except for their blades and they focused on each other's with great concentration. Blades and sparks flashed around the room as the Sith and Jedi flung their blades around and crashed the four swords against the walls and each other's blades. Kiber flinched for a moment as Liam brought both of his blades down near his arm; Liam used this chance to use a force push, which ultimately ripped the weakened metal wall apart and sent his brother flying through it. He stepped through the hole and Kiber got back to his feet; his robes fluttered wildly in the gale that approached them. They were on the roof of the city now. Liam was still not sure if he could do this; he left his brother to die once, but… did he have a choice now? Did he have a chance before?

"We don't need to do this!" Liam screamed over the sound of the coming squall. The sith seemed to have become tired over the course of the battle.

"_Of course we do… you are a fool!"_ he raised one of his swords toward his brother, _"Since the beginning… the Jedi and their Dark counterparts have been DESTINED to destroy one another! The foolish Jedi have won time and time again, but we will be the victors this time!"_

"You ARE a Jedi! You are not a SITH! You are not one of them, you are one of us and you still can be!"

"_It is too late for me… and I'm glad."_

Liam raised his burning blades and hid his emotions behind his eyeless face; deep, deep within his mind, "You… have changed…"

Kiber rolled his head to crack his stiff neck and then curled his fingers around his weapons, _"For the better."_

The two of them burst into a mêlée like none other. If one were to blink the battle would be into its next stages within the instant. Flashes of brilliantly coloured light reflected off of the puddles of water on the roof, and on the ocean to their sides. They smashed their shining blades against one another and bright sparks were sent flying through the damp air. They fought furiously, and unflinchingly until they noticed that rain drops were hitting their sabers. They both stopped, jumped back, and looked to the north. A Hurricane was whipping up in the distance and would be on them soon; they would need to make haste. The two duelists turned back to face each other and swung at each other dexterously and with precision. Liam flew through the air with the gracefulness of an eagle, but the ferocity of an Acklay. Kiber on the other hand remained with his feet on the roof of the metallic building and reacted with the reflexes of a Nexu and the strength of a bull-Rancor. The storm was getting closer, but the pair kept on fighting; Liam barely missed Kiber's arm and the sith stumbled back to avoid his slash. The fight raged on for what seemed like an hour, but was in reality only a matter of minutes. They had pushed each other to the near limit and the hurricane was nearly upon their doorstep. Lightning struck a nearby metal pole and sent electricity running through old power lines that were long out of commission; an explosion could be heard from one of the buildings, and then the building began to collapse. It was not a tall building, none of them were, but it was still not a good sign. The building beneath their feet rocked to the side for a moment; they were sinking. It appeared that the structure they stood upon had given way because of the explosion, separating it from the rest of the 'Island'. The opponents took one quick look at each other and put their bout on hold. They leapt to the building to the east and watched as the building completely gave in to gravity and the force of nature, it sank into the ocean. Rough waves splashed up against the steel buildings, and the two brothers continued their fight as it continued into another building. They entered accidently through the door when Kiber was pushed back into it; Liam seemed to be taking the upper hand in the battle. As they nearly tumbled down the stairs, a wave hit the side of the building and it lurched toward the rest of the city. Liam and Kiber looked at each other, and realized that they again would have to wait. Liam went up the staircase as the construction toppled and Kiber jumped down to the first floor, landing with a thud. The building collapsed onto the city streets paved with metal; just like everything else. Liam emerged from a window on the side (Now top) of the building farther from the ocean and when Kiber climbed out of his window a wave splashed up again and soaked his robes. He shook off the water as best he could and ran forward, headstrong at his sibling. Liam was being pressed backwards now, and he was nearly at the edge of the sideways building. With all of his strength, Kiber imbued his silver blade with the energy of the force and struck his brother's sword with it; Liam was sent flying into the lonely streets that had not heard the steps of the Selkath in a long time. He landed on his feet and took a ready stance as his brother bounded forward with both of his weapons ready to strike down his rival. He landed directly in front of Liam and their blades clashed together and locked against one another as they pushed with all of their might. It took all of Liam's willpower to charge his force power and keep his brother at bay. He released the force from his hands and sent Kiber flying into the roof (What now could be considered the wall) of the toppled structure. He left a deep indent in the metal and when he opened his eyes again he could see his brother standing only a few metres away, but something was wrong – the impact had broken part of his visor. Half of his T-shaped visor had been smashed in; what a waste of a new set of armor. He stood up as steam was released from his helmet with an annoying spraying sound. Kiber put his wrist to his mask and spoke into the speaker.

"_I'll… need pickup; come to… my location."_ He put down his arm and could barely hear Lynaree answer back, but he could not understand what she was trying to say. Kiber knew that he could not win this battle; either he would die, or both he and Liam would die, and he did not want to make such a hasty sacrifice; he still had a galaxy to bring order to.

"As a Jedi, my mercy is almost unlimited!" shouted Liam, it was partially distorted through Kiber's broken mask, "You can return! We can save you!"

"_I might as well be Ulic; he had his… powers…" _Kiber suddenly found it getting hard to breathe, _"taken by… the council… they will do the same to me!"_

"I can stop them! We can leave the order behind, start a new life with my family!" Liam could not believe he, himself, had just said that, did he mean it? Was he trying to lure his brother in, or was he sincere? Deep in his thoughts, did he really have the courage to abandon the order that was his life?

"_Your… family?" _The sith smiled wickedly through his mask; Liam had said too much, but he could not stop now.

"Yes! You can-!" there was an electrical strike on another building, far from them however, "You can come with us and we can live out the rest of our lives, away from this war!" he never did realize it, but he was smiling as he spoke these words.

"_Family… is a weakness…" _Kiber could feel tears rolling down his cheeks, _"I learned that… firsthand…" _He found himself unable to speak as he choked up; had the loss of his child affected him that much? He was weak, and he knew it.

"What are you talking about-!?"

"_SHUT UP! You don't know anything!" _ he fell to his knees and exploded into a coughing fit. Liam looked quite confused. Suddenly a giant blaster bolt landed beside Liam and sent him flying to the side from the resulting explosion. Kiber looked up at the sky and breathed a sigh of relief as his fury landed beside him. He clambered up the entry hatch and his Apprentice helped him in. Pravus looked over at Liam who was trying to get to his feet, but tried in vain as he fell back to his knees.

"Should we get rid of him, master?" offered Pravus to his lord Kiber. Kiber looked out at his brother with pity, and a hint of regret.

"_No… let us be off."_ Kiber hobbled up the ramp while he held his side and the ramp closed behind them as they took off away from the storm; a bolt of lightning narrowly missed the ship.

"Kiber!" cried Liam in a futile effort, "KIBER!" he watched as the sith's ship broke through the dark cloud filled sky and then vanished into space. Liam pulled a device out of his pocket with his shaky hands, and then put it to his mouth as he pressed the button.

"I… need evac…" he said as he collapsed from the pain; that seemed to happening to him often lately. The Defender landed beside him and all three of his crewmates ran out into the stormy weather and grabbed him up.

* * *

_Please wake up! Please, don't die, Master! _Spoke Ruro'r as he shook Liam's arm while he lay upon his bed. To Ardernus it sounded as if the sand person was making mere honks and grunts that resembled no form of language at all. Jorek was standing over his fallen friend and using the force to heal his wounds inflicted by the shot from the fury's blaster cannon.

"He'll be fine, Ruro'r; just give me time and I'll make sure he's all better." Jorek gave the child a reassuring smile and the Ghorfa backed into the hallway and closed the door behind him. Ardernus looked concerned for the Miraluka.

"Will he actually be alright?" suddenly, Ardernus felt someone grab his arm; even if it was covered in armor.

"I'm… not out of the… games yet…" Liam tried to laugh but was met with another coughing fit for his efforts.

Ardernus took his hand and placed it back on his chest, "You just rest, and I'll get us back to Tython in one piece, 'Kay?" Liam just smiled and tried not to pass out again, no matter how futile that may have seemed.

"Don't be… giving me… orders; Lieutenant!" he smiled before slipping back into unconsciousness. Ardernus patted him on the shoulder and walked out of his room, leaving Jorek alone to heal Liam.

"This will be a story that you have to tell us…" he said to the unconscious Jedi.

* * *

"AHHH! My Karking back!" screamed an injured Kiber as he lied with his stomach to the bed and Lynaree tried to treat his wounds without harming him; it was a fool's errand and Kiber cried in pain with every stitch. It was a deep wound.

"Damn, Kiber… that impact left you Karked… this will hurt too by the way." She said as she put in the next stitch.

"Damn it!" he screamed; he only hoped that the others outside could not hear him, but he knew they could.

"Calm down, yah big baby!"

"Shut… Up…" he breathed in between each of his words to prepare for the coming pain.

"You're cute when you're angry!" she said mockingly, he couldn't help but laugh; except that laughing hurt. She looked at him with kind eyes and a slight smile; he peered behind his shoulder and saw her gazing at him. She tried to look away, but found herself compelled to continue looking into his yellow eyes. He was immobilized by the pain in his back but continued to stare into her eyes as well. It was like no one else mattered-

"Are you almost done with the procedure? We need to know what happened!" Kiber sighed and laid his head back down.

"Just finish the job…"


	18. The Unifying Force

"I have to get him back…" moped the sith lord. It had been only a few days since his battle with Liam.

"Who are you talking about?" Xaffaj asked as he crossed his arms. Hyperspace was always so boring, even if you had something to talk about. The constant rattling of engine parts were enough to drive Kiber to madness.

"Zajeem… I can't let her keep him…" he spoke of his ex-lover, Kyshwanee. The soft touch of her red skin still haunts him to this day. Kyshwanee was a sith lord like him, how could he hope to force his way into her stronghold?

"You really liked that little guy, didn't you? That's not very sith-like." Xaffaj smiled at his brother while Kiber held his face in his hands. His armor was being fixed by an armorer back on Dromund Kaas that had made the armor for him in the first place. His visor, he said, would take a day or more to fix.

"I'm not the perfect sith that I wish to be, in case you haven't noticed." He slouched back on the couch that he was sitting on.

"Family has always been important to the Mandos… we adopt war orphans all the time, and treat them like our own." Xaffaj was admiring his pistol in his hands.

"If you are trying to relate to me, it won't work."

"I don't have to try," He said, "I'm already related to you." The Mandalorian laughed at Kiber. He ignored his sarcasm and rested his head against the back of the lounger. Xaffaj always told Kiber that he needed to loosen up, and Lynaree had told him the same thing since day one. Maybe they were right, but maybe not. He was quite relaxed compared to his sith compatriots, who were well known for their short tempers. The only thing that made Kiber truly angry was the failure of his subordinates, and the betrayal of his friends (Even if he was a sith, that did not mean he would have to continue their vicious cycle) especially when Kyshwanee decided to leave him and take their son with her. That was the only feeling that could compare to his brother, Liam, leaving him to die. He had thought his brother would join him that day, at the temple. The two of them combined had enormous potential, even if Kiber needed the Dark side to call upon his powers effectively. He could reflect on these thoughts later, however.

"We can't just bust in and rescue him from her slimy red fingers; I know what we would be up against." Kiber sulked.

"And what might that be?"

"She is an extraordinary sith-alchemist… we would face her soldiers of course, but then we would almost certainly have to fight her 'Sithspawn' creatures as well." Sithspawn were any creature that was a result of sith science and research, twisting ordinary creatures into horrible monsters capable of wanton destruction in large enough numbers. Kiber had seen one of Kyshwanee's mutated rancors once; it was a monstrous, colossal thing. He hated the idea of having to face that thing head on.

"You think I'm afraid of some wonky sith magic?" Xaffaj held his chest and laughed, "That's funny!"

"You may be a born warrior, but you have not a clue of what she is capable of…"

* * *

Back on Tython…

In the council chambers stood Liam with his robes singed from the blaster cannon and he held his side as it still pained him greatly. After many years they had finally finished constructing the chamber in full, complete with a giant table surrounded by a number of seats. Satele was her usual passive self, but master Jaric Kaeden was less than pleased.

"You were supposed to go to Balmorra and investigate, not go to Manaan and then attack him!" he spoke with a finger pointing at the Miralukan Jedi in the middle of the room.

"The force called to me, and I had no idea we were going to investigate; I was under the impression that we were going to capture Kiber." He objected.

"How did you not know? Did your companions not tell you?" Master Satele asked.

"I was unconscious; when I awoke I was on our ship and en route to Balmorra."

"Unconscious?" wondered Master Orgus Din, "How did that happen?"

"Like I said," explained Liam, "The force showed me a vision, of Manaan, and its intrusion into my mind was too much for me to handle, so I fell unconscious."

"Why did your friends not inform us of your incident?" Orgus Din asked.

"They figured it would be best to simply continue with the mission." Just then Liam remembered something, "And on a slightly related note, I would like to thank you for allowing me to keep my Padawan."

"No one else would dare train him," explained Jaric, "No one has experience enough with the sand people to train one; all except you."

Master Syo Bakarn interrupted now, "You do realize that being a watchman does not mean you have to be so… friendly, with the locals, right? You need only to keep order."

"I found this was the… best way to maintain order." He made up this excuse on the spot.

"Well, in your defense we did allow you to decide upon your tactics for the mission." Master Satele smiled. He smiled back.

"The reason you are here however, is because we need to tell you to stop making such rash decisions!" explained Master Jaric.

Satele concurred, "He is right; Liam, you need to control your emotions. We realize that the force showed you this, and we would not argue the will of the force when only you experienced it as such, but you must remember not to act so quickly." She reminded him as his old masters had time and time again.

"I know… I… I simply assumed that I was shown the location of my brother for a reason."

"To kill him, you mean?" Satele could read him like a book. Liam dodged the accusation.

"The force would not show me this without reason." He argued.

"We do not know the true will of the force, it may simply want you to be aware." Explained Master Syo. Liam was getting fed-up with this.

"That seems like a poor excuse; no offense intended, Master Bakarn." Liam bowed toward the master.

"None taken, I understand that it may be hard for you to explain this to us when you are clearly the only one who could understand; everyone feels the force differently."

"I thank you for your time, and your patience, but I must be going; My Padawan requires training with proper equipment for once in his life." He smiled.

"You are excused then; remember what we have said." Warned Satele with her finger pointed at him.

"I understand, master." He clasped his hands together and bowed once more before exiting the chamber.

When he had left, the conversation continued with Master Syo speaking first, "He walks, acts, and talks almost like a follower of… the Unifying Force rather than the Living Force, don't you think?"

"Yes," agreed Master Orgus, "The way he said that the force had told him to go to Manaan…"

Master Jaric thought different, "Even he can tell that the force has a clear line drawn in the middle; Light and Dark, there is no center. Surely he would not believe in the Unifying force."

"Do not be so sure," suggested Master Satele Shan, "It is not impossible to believe that there could be a balance between light and dark; especially so for the younger Jedi."

"Your ancestor Revan was the same way, wasn't he?" asked Orgus with a raised brow.

"That is not the topic…"

"It could be?" he teased.

"We shall continue this another time," she decreed, "Dismissed."

* * *

"_Your armor is ready, my Lord."_ Said a man on the opposite side of the holoprojector. He was a slender, gaunt-faced man with a regal disposition on him.

"I shall return to claim it at once, Thank you." Kiber said. The citizens of the empire were not accustomed to a sith showing Politeness to them, so he looked rather confused, but humbled at the same time.

"_No, Thank you, Darth Kiber."_ The projector shut off.

"Why are these people so afraid of you?" asked Kelann, "Anyone can be as powerful as a Sith if they tried." That was Mandalorian logic for you.

"That's what you think." He replied. Kiber ignored whatever she said afterwards and walked to the cockpit where Pravus and Lynaree were both sitting, monitoring the ship's status.

"Hey there, Kiber!" Lynaree said cheerfully, "Need anything?"

"Yes, set a course for Dromund Kaas, I need to get my armor and then we can refuel."

"Sure thing, boss." She pulled down the monitor in front of her and touched the surface a few times; they appeared out of hyperspace and then began to turn. Within a moment the ship had re-entered hyperspace. It tripped Kiber up a bit, "We're not very far from Kaas, so it will only be an hour maybe."

"Call me when we arrive." He said and then walked back out into the main segment of the ship.

"Hey, bro!" called Xaffaj as he scrawled on a data-pad. Kiber approached and sat beside his brother.

"What is it now?"

"Kelann over there," he pointed at his partner and she waved, "Found a map of Kyshwanee's stronghold while searching the Holonet."

Kiber looked extremely surprised, "How!?" was all he could think to say.

"It was pretty hard," she explained, "But eventually I managed to find my way into their cameras and after watching the security for a while, I was able to piece the place together into a comprehensible map."

"You Impress me…" Kiber said nodding his head.

"Worst of all however," Xaffaj interrupted, "Your fears about the… Sithspawn, I think you called them… have been realized."

* * *

"Yes, like that! When your opponent slashes down at your torso you should…?" Liam waited for his Padawan to complete the sentence. Ruro'r was fighting a practice droid with practice sabers.

_You should block with your blade to the side and then use your lower position to your advantage, pushing up on their weapon and giving you time to strike._

"Good." Liam said as his student did what was talked of to the droid and it locked up after being struck in the chest area.

_Like that, Master? _He asked.

"Yes, Perfect!" he was an overly eccentric master, Ruro'r thought, at least when compared to the other masters. Ruro'r disengaged his saber and then turned to face Liam.

_What about force training, you promised._

Liam laughed and put his hands on his hips in a hero-esque pose, "I suppose I did, didn't I?" he exhaled and looked off toward a nearby hill, "Follow me." He said. They clambered up the grassy hill and found that two large rocks sat atop it. They stood before the small boulders and Ruro'r watched intently to see what his master would do next.

"This is how I learned to control the environment around me; I want you to envision yourself picking up that boulder, but don't try, you'll only break your back." His Padawan did what he was told and held out his hand as if to grab the rock, "Good, now you must convince yourself that you are actually doing it, and with training you will eventually be able to do it with hardly any concentration." The sand person wrinkled his hidden face in concentration and his hand began to shake from the pressure. Suddenly, the boulder rose from the dirt and slowly ascended into the air. When the Ghorfa child looked up he was startled by what he had done and lost his concentration. The rock fell back onto the hill and Ruro'r fell onto his rump.

_Did… did I do that?_ He asked.

Liam laughed, "Of course you did! It wasn't me so who else could it be?" Ruro'r made a few laughing honking noises.

_Can we do that again tomorrow!?_ He asked merrily as he rose back to his feet.

Liam smiled, "Of course, just make sure to remind me." The master looked off into the distance, toward Kalikori Village, "For now, go back to your usual training. I'm sure you will be allowed to practice with the other Padawans."

_What if they don't allow me to train with them? _He asked as his master began to walk away.

"Come find me; I'll be in the Twi'lek village."

* * *

The Twi'lek village; Kalikori village, it was called, was a quaint little settlement that been built on Tython a few years prior without the permission of the republic. For all intents and purposes; the villagers were outlaws. Liam never saw why they were not able to settle here; sure it was the ancient home world of the Jedi, but the Jedi were few and it was not as if they could use every inch of the large planet. When he arrived in the village he was greeted by familiar faces and friendly banter. Liam had always seen their way of life as fair; the republic had no say in how they lived and he would fight for their rights if he had to. He was one of few Jedi who had tried to convince the council to send aid to the small secluded settlement. Unfortunately, the Council of the Jedi were uninterested in helping illegal immigrants. Never the less, Liam and numerous Jedi continued to aid the people of the village, regardless of what the council thought. Jorek was one of those Jedi. As Liam entered he noticed that Jorek was having a chat with the locals, a few individuals were less than happy with his presence.

"Why have you not been able to help us, Jedi!? We need protection from the flesh-raiders!" said one particularly angry green-skinned Twi'lek to the Zabrak shadow.

"I'm sorry, but the council is still being very stubborn; I promise you that my friends and I will still help in any way we can." He was always very good at calming people, but Jorek could not make this alien settle.

"Three of your years we have waited! We need help now – to protect us from these… things!"

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to calm yourself; or do I have to go tell the Matriarch about this?" he threatened pointing up at the tower atop the nearby hill. The Twi'lek man backed off fast after that remark. "That's what I thought…"

"Jorek!" called Liam to his friend.

The Zabrak waved back, "How are you feeling?" he said as he walked over and embraced his friend in a hug.

"You saved my life, so when your around I'm feeling pretty good." They laughed.

"The Villagers are as peaceful as usual… but quite a few are becoming increasingly angry at the council."

"So I see." Liam crossed his arms, "are the ladies still after your hand?" he giggled.

A slight blush appeared on his brown cheeks, "Yes… I keep telling them that emotional connection is forbidden, but they won't listen." He rubbed the back of his head, trying not to accidentally poke one of his horns.

"Breaking the code is looking pretty good now, eh?" Liam whispered as he walked away to go talk to the villagers.

"Very funny, oh and Liam!"

Liam turned around, "What?"

"I read the original script of the code… maybe you were right," this gave Liam a small amount of satisfaction, "or maybe we're misinterpreting it."

"Either way, it is good to know." And Liam continued farther into the village.

* * *

"So you're going to go tear that bitch apart?" asked Lynaree, surprisingly casually.

"Not unless I have to." He answered blankly, as he got his armor on; he needed to have someone to come into the changing area with him, just in case something got caught. It was a hard suit to put on.

"I just want to see Zajeem again… he was so sweet." He tried to ignore her while he fitted his robes over the armor plates. "And I just can't believe Kyshwanee could feign being so… nice, how do you do that!?"

"I don't know; she was nice wasn't she?" he turned to his Twi'lek pilot and she handed him his mask. He put it against his face and it clicked into place against the armor covering the back of his head. His heads up display showed and he shut it off for the time being. _"Still fits perfectly…"_ he said. The armorer stepped into the room with a measuring tape in his hands and clapped his hands together.

"This is one of the finest suits I have ever made; it fits you perfectly!" he approached Kiber with caution, "That will be half price for you, my Lord."

"_Half?"_ he asked.

"Yes, only 4,000 credits…" Kiber reached into the pocket of his old robe and produced a blank credit chip and gave it to Lynaree.

"_Put 8,000 credits on that chip for me."_

"Sure thing!" she said as she walked off to the bank.

"No… no I… I can't let you pay full price for that, my Lord!"

"_It is nothing, take it."_ A few moments later Lynaree returned with the chip and handed it to the armorer.

"Thank you, my Lord!" he said with a quiver in his voice.

"_No, thank you…"_ he said calmly as he walked out of the doorway. Lynaree and Kiber began the walk back to the taxi to bring them back to their ship.

"So… tear her apart, okay?" she asked.

"_I will only kill her if she forces my hand. I hope it does not come to that, I loved her once."_

"I know it's just… I can't forgive her for using you like that!" she said angrily. Kiber stopped dead in his tracks.

"_She was not using you… why do you care if she uses me?"_ he said as he turned to face her. A faint purplish blush showed on her blue cheeks.

"Uh… uh… You- you're my boss, I don't want her using you." She held her left arm awkwardly.

"_And that is the only reason?"_ he giggled.

She turned to face him now; she crossed her arms, "What are you implying?" she knew very well what he was implying.

"_Nothing, nothing at all…"_ he said while he continued to walk to the taxi.


	19. Flesh and Blood

Kiber had once said to Liam that Family was a weakness. Why then, was Darth Kiber, a Lord of the sith, going to kidnap his own son from his ex-lover? He thought it over again and again that night as he slept in his comfy bed; why would he want his son back when he would clearly be nothing but a burden? Maybe he could turn his son into a reckoning force without even teaching him how to use a saber. It was settled now however, and the plan would be going ahead the next day; they would get Zajeem back whether Kyshwanee liked it or not. Kelann and Xaffaj got out of bed that morning prepared to do some real damage. When they came out for breakfast – prepared by Lynaree, via the ship's food synthesizer – the two Mandalorians were fully armored and had their weapons on them. The ship was currently orbiting slowly around the sith planet of Korriban.

Xaffaj took off his helmet, sat down, and bit into one of the protein enhanced food bars on his plate, "Mm… this ship makes pretty good food, doesn't it?"

"I installed a new food synthesizer a few days ago, but we hadn't used it yet." Lynaree answered. The whole crew sat down to eat, even Lord Pravus, who opened his small mouth and could barely fit the food in. Kiber entered the room with his armor on except for his mask. He sat down at the table and his Subordinates did not even seem to take notice; maybe he was going soft.

"Is everyone prepared for this?" he asked to break the silence. Everyone looked up from their food.

"Of course we are, Master; we are at your command." Assured the Draethos; his voice had certainly gotten deeper over the years.

"Same here, Boss." Lynaree said while stuffing her face with food. Kiber ate for only a moment before putting his mask on.

"_I'll go drop us from orbit, finish eating soon."_ He commanded as he walked off toward the cockpit.

* * *

The crew could hear the hum of the fury's engines as they turned the ship ninety degrees, down, toward Korriban. Kiber engaged the thrusters and the ship rocketed forward toward the planet. Kyshwanee's fortress – her Sith Stronghold – was well hidden on the side of the planet opposite that of the Sith Academy. He knew where it was but he had only been inside of it once, even then he did not have a very good look at the place. Luckily Kelann had retrieved the map, so things would hopefully go smoothly. That was the hope, but he suspected that between her soldiers and the Sithspawn; he would have his work cut out for him. After ten minutes of fast flying he found it, the fortress looked like an old sith tomb from a distance. Coming closer however it was obvious that this was not an old building. It was made of stone, sure, but it was by no standards in poor condition. Kyshwanee always had a very high opinion of herself, and constructing her home in the form of a tomb designed for only the most revered sith lords was proof of it. He landed the fury on the metal landing pad and watched as Imperial troops converged on the ship with weapons lowered, but still at the ready. The troopers observed as the hatch to the ship opened and the Sith lord and his friends made their way down onto their level.

"Forgive me, Darth Kiber, but Darth Kyshwanee has expressed that she wishes not to see you; we will have to ask you to leave." The commander said. Kiber knew that was not an option.

"_Commander, I like you. You listen to orders even when they could very well get you killed…"_

"Is that a threat, my Lord?" he asked with the utmost respect in his voice. Kiber leaned in beside the man's head and whispered in his ear.

"_No, it is a promise."_ He ignited his silver saber into the commander's abdomen and it stabbed straight through to the other side. The other soldiers actually seemed surprised that he would do that; they did not know what he was capable of. The man fell to the ground and died.

"_FREEZE!"_ called out one of the soldiers, _"I said FREEZE!"_ Kiber acted like he was nothing more than an insignificant buzzing in his ear. Kiber picked the man up with the force and threw him into the chasm below.

"_FIRE!"_ screamed another trooper who pointed at Kiber. Pravus and his master jumped forth and deflected the blaster bolts with relative ease. The three other crew members opened fire into the crowd of soldiers, mowing them down in a rain of plasma and heat. Kiber force pushed a pair of them off of the platform and turned to see another five running up the stairs to warn their master. Kiber pulled them all back down and unleashed his rage upon them. Electrical strands of blue lightning shot from his fingertips as he laughed manically at their suffering and watched the life depart their frail bodies. Smoke rose off of the charred corpses of the unfortunate victims; in Kiber's eyes anyone serving Kyshwanee was deserving of much more. Kiber turned to his troupe.

"_Pravus will come with me, the rest of you will stay here; this is SITH business."_ He turned even though the others looked as if they were about to object. He and Lord Pravus both entered the giant hallway that stood before them, and it was as if a historical landmark had been lain out before them. Paintings on the walls and ancient sith artifacts lined the halls of her extravagant abode. All of the relics were fastened to their stands in one way or another, probably so they would not break. But why would she be so concerned about-

The hallway shook and the gates closed firmly behind them. There was no going back now. But it was not the door that made the hallway shake, because from around the corner at the end of the corridor came two of the most deformed and monstrous things Kiber had ever laid eyes on. Two twenty foot tall eyeless beasts came around the corner; Kiber could not tell what they used to be before, but they now had very elongated arms and legs – which they crawled on all fours with – and a large metal plate across the area of their head where their eyes should be. Their claws were deadly sharp to be sure, but they appeared extremely emaciated and their ribs were practically sticking out of their chests. One of them opened up its great gaping maw and let out an ear shattering screech. The two Sith Lords did not flinch at the creature's display of power; they simply waited for the Sithspawn to make the first move.

"What are these… things?" asked Pravus to himself.

Kiber answered, _"I'm not sure if even Kyshwanee knows what they are."_ The sith both reignited their sabers and held them frontward. The two creatures got low to the ground as if they were stalking their prey, and then they began to move closer. They made their way toward the interlopers slinking across the floor with their long limbs and growling menacingly, baring their long yellow fangs. The two sith were unmoving as their enemies approached with saliva drooling out of their maws. Without a single show of warning, one of the beasts leapt forward and landed just in front of Kiber with a large thud. The creature swung down with his claw and Kiber struck back with his sabers, but they did not cut through; the spawn's palms and claws were layered with a lightsaber resistant metal. Kyshwanee had thought of everything. The other creature jumped half over its brother – landing on its back – and swiped at Kiber. He had just enough time to roll back before the thing made contact. They were agile, and they did not care of risking injury, for themselves or each other.

"_Pravus, you take one; I'll take the other."_ Kiber shouted. The beast at the bottom of its sibling tried to shrug its partner off of its back without much effort as the top creature rolled over the other and landed in front of the sith again; they were clumsy. Lord Pravus struck out at the beast's paw before it could assault his master and motioned with his other arm for his master to take the other creature. Pravus was strong enough to push the beast back with one arm; that was impressive even by Kiber's standards. Kiber sidestepped to his left and ran at the other spawn. It slashed down with both of its strong claws but Kiber rolled back and then jumped onto its large arms. The creature flailed its limbs to and fro, but to no avail as Kiber jumped up and landed on the back of the monster's bald head. He plunged both of his sabers into its head and waited as it screeched, but it did not die. It continued to flail about and nearly knocked Kiber against the wall, had he not jumped off first. The beast seemed mad and injured, but by no standards was it dead. _"These things won't die!"_ he shouted as the Sithspawn charged him again and he had to use all of his might to hold it back.

"I agree!" hollered Pravus over the roaring of the beast as it slashed back and forth with its claws. His magenta lightsaber clanged against the hard metal of the creature's talons. Pravus felt the wall on his back and dodged just in time for the spawn to get its claws stuck in the stone wall. Pravus leapt onto the back of the behemoth and stabbed it in the throat numerous times; the creature lurched and gagged, but it still did not die. Just then Kiber had an idea; a creature created through sith 'Magic' could easily be undone the same way. He received a punch to the chest from the beast and was sent flying into the wall. He recovered just in time to force push his opponent back into the other wall, and then he began to charge his energy; focusing the dark side energies in his arms. Electrical surges tethered and arced around his arms as he flexed his powerful muscles.

"_I have dominion over you, Worm!"_ and a large number of giant electrical discharges arced from the tips of his fingers to the monster. The creature cringed and convulsed as its body began to burn from the overcharge of electricity. After a moment of watching the thing quiver with energy, it fell to the stone floor with a smash. Pravus saw this and followed his master's example. He jumped onto the monster's head and placed his hands on its temples. A red aura radiated from the Draethos's hands and the creature below him began to screech in pain and thrash wildly. Eventually the beast settled and fell to the ground, leaving an indent in the floor. Pravus hopped off of the creature and walked toward his master.

"That was quite a fight; excellent work, my Master."

"_You were quite efficient yourself, apprentice."_ The two of them disregarded the corpses lying on the floor and continued deeper into the stronghold. Kiber raised his wrist to his chest and a holo-map appeared from his wrist-mounted monitor. _"This way."_ He pointed to the right turn at the forked hall. They walked leisurely down the stone corridors at their own accomplished pace. Kiber heard a sound behind him and turned to see two sith appear from separate doorways; they both ignited their single-bladed sabers.

"These must be Kyshwanee's apprentices; let me deal with them." Lord Pravus offered to his master with his blade pointing towards their enemies.

"_If you wish; do not dally!" _he demanded as he ran off down the hall way, hoping not to have any more distractions.

"That was a bad decision…" suggested one of the dark apprentices, "You cannot hope to defeat us both!"

Pravus was unmoved by his petty boasts, "I will be more than a challenge for you two!" he said as his eyes began to glow red. The two sith stepped back but did not flee, "Prepare to taste the full fury of the Dark-Side of the force!"

Kiber could hear the clatter of battle behind his back, but he was far from them now and he had more important matters to attend to. He could sense the faint force presence of his child in the distance. He was getting close. He made a turn into what he could assume was the main chamber of Kyshwanee's palace-like home. Candelabras lined the walls and elaborate mosaics of different colored bricks lit the room alive with color; the dominant color was still red however. Against the back wall of the room, Kyshwanee sat upon a throne of gold. She wore very slender purple robes that fit to her curvature effectively, along with the numerous armor plates along her arms and sparsely layered on her chest. The sorcerer stepped down from her throne and walked elegantly down the steps to greet her old friend. Kiber stayed across the room; he could never be too careful with her.

"Kiberan! Isn't this a Surprise!" she said with sarcasm weighing down her thickly accented voice; an accent common of an Imperial slave…

"_Where is Zajeem?"_ he asked calmly. Kiber would prefer if this did not end in a fight. Kyshwanee raised her slim hand to her mouth and gave an antiquated little giggle.

"I was under the impression that he was MINE."

"_You thought wrong, Kysh. Give him to me and I will leave without bringing any more harm upon you."_ He said. She held out her hand and her saber flew from her waist into her palm. The hilt of her lightsaber was covered in fangs and wrapped at the center with a purple ribbon that draped over her hand. As she lit her sword it burned with a deep purple blade that was mildly painful to the eyes. She raised it to her chest and held it with both hands, skyward.

"I can't let you take him from me… he will become even more powerful than us one day."

"_He is too weak to the force!"_ he pleaded, _"Why can you not sense this?"_

"I sense that he will do great things for the empire in his life; that is why I believe he will become sith!"

"_You can serve the empire in more ways than just being a sith!"_

"Says the 'Fallen Jedi'!"

"_Spoke the 'Slave'!"_ the pair exchanged irrelevant insults at one another like school children.

"How DARE you call me a SLAVE!" Kyshwanee hollered at him.

"_You were a slave once, were you not?"_

"That is unimportant! You are not even a true sith!" this made a nerve inside of Kiber twinge.

"_I will show you a true sith!"_ he said as he ignited both of his blades and the pair began to circle each other, waiting for the other to make a move. They side stepped away from one another for what seemed like hours, only it was a few seconds. They lashed out with their armaments and locked blades instantly. The couple pushed as hard as they could but neither seemed to be able to make any headway. The two of them grunted and hissed at one another as they pressed against each other's weapons. Their faces were nearly touching now, and Kyshwanee smiled. An electrical charge was sent rushing up her saber and it connected with his, giving him an unexpected shock that was enough for her to push back and make him tumble backwards. He remained on his feet but noticed that Kyshwanee had both of her hands outstretched toward him. He held out his sabers as the lightning arced toward him but struck his swords instead. She was very powerful in the force, but he was not prepared for such power as this; she was filled to the brim with pure sith potential. He used all of his might to push himself closer to his adversary as she continued her lightning barrage. She laughed as he attempted to get within melee range. She found herself astounded; her ex-lover was powerful enough to ward her force power away. He was nearly close enough now; he could not understand how she could keep it up for this long – her power was immense. He was not but two steps from her when he flung his sabers to the side and narrowly missed her arms. She recoiled and disengaged her lightning, instead engaging her weapon. The two sith lords went back to battle with their laser swords flashing back and forth with extreme speed and clashing in an explosion of sparks again and again. It was like a dazzling lightshow of sorts. Their blades circled one another as they blocked and parried with as much precision as the force allowed. Kiber swiped up and managed to knock the blade from her hand, but she pushed him back with her powers and began raining electricity on him again. He was sent falling backwards and he dropped both of his lightsabers. He resisted her shock as much as he could as he got to his knees and then began absorbing the energy of her attack with his palms; he was just as surprised as she was – he never knew he could do that! With his new-found power he got to his feet and approached Kyshwanee, pushing back as hard as he could. Kyshwanee was in a panic by the time that he was only three feet away; she would have to fight back. She began advancing forward but found it was just as hard for her as it was for him. The two were nearly touching now, and they screamed in pain as they got closer, and closer, and closer. Their hands touched and a shockwave sent both of them flying in opposite directions. Kiber caught his footing before he could fly too far; Kyshwanee was not so lucky. She had hit her head against the wall – hard. Kiber picked up both of his weapons and walked over to the Zabrak who lay on the floor, wheezing and slowly sitting down on her rump. He stood in front of her and ignited both of his sabers. She held up her burnt hands and shook her head.

"Wait!" she screamed; Kiber lowered his weapons, "… Take him! He… he is in the nursery. You've gotten this far, I'm sure you can find your way there. I won't stop you from leaving just…" a single tear ran down her tattooed cheek, "NEVER return!" she snarled.

"_I'm more than happy to oblige."_ He said calmly. He walked off without a moment's thought; he would sense if she meant to betray his trust and strike at him, but she was too weak right now.

Kiber turned corner after corner, following the map and the force to the nursery. He turned into a doorway and opened the steel door. As he flicked the light switch on he breathed a sigh of relief; his son was safe and sound, asleep in a cradle. He walked over as quietly as possible and grabbed his son out of his cradle of security. He still had the same pale red skin, but sith Tattoos covered his body, and he had hair now; the same color hair as his father. He grabbed a blanket from the bedding and wrapped Zajeem gently in it. He removed his mask and hooked it on his belt.

He whispered to his son, "I won't let the sith bring harm to you… you will be safe with me." Kiber put his hood back up and exited the room; turning the lights off behind him as he closed the door. He exited the same way he had entered and saw Kyshwanee laying against the cracked brick wall in the main chamber, unconscious. When he went to exit to the hallway he was greeted by his apprentice; Pravus was holding his side.

"I… I've been injured, but they are… dead, my… Master." He took in heavy breaths and was hunched over like an old man.

"Let us leave then; we have no more reason to be here." While they walked down the corridors of the sith palace Kiber could not help but look down at his child; his own flesh and blood had been returned to him. No one would be able to harm his son without first slaying him and his comrades. The small baby boy made a cute cooing sound as it awoke in Kiber's arms. Kiber smiled right back.


	20. Pleas and Plights

"Your council has ignored our pleas for far too long!" shouted the angry Twi'lek settler.

"I know it is frustrating sir, but we are just as frustrated at them as you are." Liam reasoned.

A shorter Twi'lek woman with fair purple skin approached them, "The Flesh-Raiders have become bolder lately. We desperately need your help." Liam could not help but feel their pain.

"I will do everything in my power to get the council's aid, but we need the villagers to be reasonable or else they will not listen." He explained.

"We can only remain calm for so long!" shouted the irritated settler, "We need help NOW!"

"Sir, with all due respect; I need you to remain calm as I try to reason with them. If the council senses any dark thoughts in your heads, then they will not hesitate to dismiss our request."

"… Fine, but return quickly." Liam said no more to the frustratingly angry Twi'lek, but instead turned away from the village and back toward the route to the temple. Jorek was standing beside the town walls with his arms crossed. As Liam approached Jorek went over and wrapped his arm around Liam's shoulder.

"Troubles?" he said mockingly.

"You don't even know."

"On the contrary, I know perfectly." He rebutted.

"*Sigh* so I see…" Liam was tired of dealing with these villagers. Sure, they needed help, but that did not mean that they would have to be so rude to the Jedi trying to help them.

"What are we going to do?" Jorek asked as he let go of his friend and began walking beside him.

"We need to do something we should have done long ago; we need to burst through those doors and demand they help the settlers!" Liam said strongly. Jorek looked quite taken aback.

"That isn't you, Liam. We can find another way-."

"What other way!? We've been saying that for years now and still nothing!"

"If you are going to go through with this, then I cannot help you. I will not show such disrespect to the council."

"What makes you think I will show any disrespect?" Liam said in an offended tone. Jorek parted his mouth but said nothing for a moment.

"Fine; I will come, but you must not get angry at them. You would not want to be in trouble with the council, would you?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Liam shook his head.

"I will not be goaded into showing my emotions in front of the council so easily." He lied.

* * *

The path back to the temple was not a long one, but the terrain was steep and rugged. Liam himself had tripped down the hill once on his way back to the temple of the Jedi. Tython was remarkably beautiful all year round, with alien flora blooming into magnificent flowers in an array of colors. The fauna was not as beautiful; many vicious beasts roamed the wilds of the ancient planet and would not hesitate to devour a stray apprentice. Jorek and Liam had returned after a short ten minute walk to the temple grounds, and they were greeted with admiration by the Padawans – like usual he supposed. They strode up the grand stair case leading towards the council chambers and then stood in front of the door. Copious amounts of other Jedi joined them in front of the doors; all of them were Jedi that wished to see cooperation between the Twi'leks and themselves. A Kel-dor, a few humans, a Twi'lek or two, and even another Miraluka joined in their following. Liam nodded and pushed open the chamber's doors. Inside the masters were talking over something; Liam could only assume it was about him – what else was there to talk about right now? The group approached the giant round table, and the masters turned to see the ensemble of peace-making Jedi standing before them.

Master Satele Shan spoke first, "Liam, what brings you back so soon, and with so many others?" The Kel-Dor stepped forward first; his name was Jar Loon.

His voice was distorted slightly because of the mask his species had to wear, _"We have gathered here to ask of you something that we have asked of you many times, but never so directly."_

"I have a guess…" muttered Master Jaric with a deep amount of sarcasm in his voice.

Jorek stepped toward the masters now, "The members of Kalikori Village desperately need our help, Masters. We know you have denied us this request many times before, but please send aid to those in need."

Syo Bakarn stood and spoke, "They are here illegally. They should not have come to Tython in the first place."

"They were fleeing religious intolerance from their home planet!" Liam interrupted. Syo looked surprised that he would speak out of turn like that. Jorek looked concerned that Liam's passions might overwhelm him.

The other Miraluka was a woman named Yowsa. She spoke now, "Can't you see that they need our help? We cannot simply abandon them to their fate!"

"Yes, we can." Master Jaric argued, "They should not even be here!"

"They needed a place to go, and then found one! You can't blame them for going against the republic's judgments!" Liam cried out.

Orgus Din had an air of concern around him, "Control your emotions, Liam. They will betray you." He said. Satele nodded in agreement.

"It is hard to control your emotions when your concerns are with the suffering of others." Liam argued back.

"You need to distance yourself from their pain, Liam." Master Shan suggested.

"You mean like you have!?" he shouted. Jorek put his palm to his face in frustration and groaned; he was not supposed to show ANY disrespect. Satele looked very hurt by his comment.

"We can only do so much for these people, Liam. We cannot spare the forces they would need, and furthermore; they do not want defenders. They want hunters. They want the Jedi to eliminate the Flesh-raiders entirely." She reasoned with him.

"That is no excuse for not helping! You could at least send a few defenders; they would guard the village and the Twi'leks would have no control over where they are at what time. They would never have to hunt the raiders, just stand guard!" Liam shouted unnecessarily. Satele put her hand to her chin, almost as if she were thinking it over.

"Do not give in so readily, Satele!" pleaded Master Jaric, "You cannot simply dispatch our knights to guard something so… unimportant!" Liam visibly snapped.

"UNIMPORTANT!?" he screamed. Syo actually jumped out of his seat, and Orgus looked like he had just seen a ghost.

Jorek grabbed Liam's arm, "Calm down!" he said, "We can't get angry!"

"I… I know… I'm… I'm sorry, Masters." He bowed to the four masters present. Satele let out a long-winded sigh and stood up.

"We will send three Jedi defenders to guard the village, but they will do no more than that." She said.

A smile spread across Liam's white face, "Thank you, Satele!" he bowed and stayed that way until everyone else had bowed as well, including Jorek.

* * *

"He is so damn cute!" said Lynaree while she coddled the baby Zabrak in her arms, "He's even cuter than you." She laughed at Kiber and he laughed back.

"He will be a great warrior someday, even if he cannot touch the force as I can."

"I can train him." Xaffaj offered. Kiber could not say he was surprised to hear that.

"You are welcome to," He answered, "When I say you can!" he pointed firmly at the Mandalorian. Xaffaj shrugged and lay back in his seat aboard the fury. Kelann was right beside Lynaree as the baby Zajeem played with her finger. He was quite a relaxed baby, hardly ever crying and making happy noises whenever something amused him. Kiber could only wonder how Kyshwanee managed to tattoo a baby without it dying from shock, Sith Magic he could guess.

Lord Pravus interrupted, "I only wish he could help with things around here. Until then he is just another mouth to feed." Kiber turned to face his pink-skinned apprentice.

"One day he will be strong enough to defeat us; even without the force," he turned back to his son, "I'm sure of it."

"I don't care, as long as he always stays this adorable!" Lynaree said. Zajeem made a soft chuckling noise and looked up at Lynaree with wide eyes.

"How could Kyshwanee tattoo him up like this?" Lynaree asked hypothetically.

"I think they suit him." Kelann said. Kiber looked down at his son, and he had to admit that they did contrast nicely on his light skin.

"I think they are the markings of the Dathomiri Zabrak." This made sense, since he was half human, (Or quarter Miraluka, if you prefer).

"I don't care what the tats are." Xaffaj said, "They'll still make him look like a true Mandalorian badass!"

"We're not raising him Mandalorian; you can train him, but that is it." Kiber decreed to his brother.

"He's related to a Mando, he is a Mando, that's just how it works!"

"You were born from a Jedi, stop this Mandalore bull!" Kiber said. Xaffaj stood up abruptly.

"What did you say!?" the baby boy began to cry so Kelann stood up and slapped Xaffaj in the face. His cybernetic eye went spinning around in its socket.

"Sh, sh, shh, Shhhh. It's okay." Lynaree whispered to the baby. Xaffaj groaned at Kiber and then sat back down. Xaffaj leaned toward his brother and talked in a hushed voice to stop from scaring the baby.

"You should show more respect. My uncle Askaun raised me like a Mandalorian, it did not matter that I was birthed from a Jedi!"

"We're not Mandalorians here; we are our own people here." Kiber replied to his brother. Xaffaj shook his head and sat back in his seat.

"You'll never understand." He said.

* * *

"Nakari!" called Liam.

"Liam!" she called back. The two ran across the hangar and jumped into each other's grasp. Lymathe and Bruudar were right behind her.

"What are you three doing here!?" he asked.

"We left the chieftain's son in charge and told him we would be back some day. We came to join your mission!"

"Mission?" Liam asked.

"She is right." Said Satele who was right behind Liam, even though he had not realized it, "You will be going somewhere else; after your success with bringing down the number of sand people raids we thought it would be appropriate that you be given a mission more suited to your skills."

"What are those skills?" asked Liam suspiciously.

"You are an accomplished peace-maker, but you are not overly subtle in your methods. We Jedi like to avoid war whenever it is possible, but we need to deter the sith from striking regardless of the state of the treaty. Therefore we are deploying Jedi all over the galaxy to guard fleets, bases, embassies and everything else you can think of."

"Where are we being sent?" Liam asked as he let go of his Echani lover and turned to face the master.

"The site of an old battle that I took place in. It is considered by many to be an inhospitable planet, but I have no doubt that it will be the site of a battle once again."

"… Yes?"

"Rhen Var." she said. Lymathe interrupted their talk.

"Mind telling me what there is, that is SO important on that ice ball of a planet!?"

"There is a hidden Republic base in the ruins of an old Jedi temple there. You will guard it and hopefully never have to fire a single shot."

"How many of us will be going?" Liam asked.

"There is hardly anyone there currently, so we will be sending you four, Ardernus, your Padawan Ruro'r, Jorek, Jar Loon, and Yowsa." Satele said.

"You're really going to trust me with this mission after what I did on Manaan?" Liam wondered out loud.

"We decided amongst ourselves that it was the will of the force that guided you, Jaric did not understand but he came around."

Liam held out his hand, "Thank you; a thousand times thank you!" she grabbed his hand and gave it a steady shake.

"Now, go, and may the force be with you."

* * *

"Um… Boss!?" shouted Lynaree who was now in the cockpit. Kiber went running into the cockpit to see what was of such importance. Kiber knew they should have left Korriban space sooner.

"Is that an Imperial dreadnaught?"

"Yes," she replied, "And I think we're being hailed." Kiber ran into the holoprojector room with haste and pressed the button to activate the projector. Two blue holograms surfaced from the projector and flickered into focus. They were both old friends of Kiber's; one, a Twi'lek named Nu'ro Rakus with long red Lekku and tattoos all the way down his body; the other was a large sith pure blood with long facial tentacles named Hask'ari. Both apprentices to the same master, the two of them decided to share power (a rare decision among sith) and strike down their master. The duo were fast friends with Kiber back at the academy and have kept in contact on rare occasions. The thing that worried Kiber about this meeting however was that they were always very close friends with Kyshwanee, even more so than with him.

"What a surprise! It's good to see you both." He said.

"_Oh," _said the Twi'lek, _"I'm sure it is… how have you been?"_ Nu'ro said as he shrugged one arm.

"I've been fine, but what is this about, may I ask?"

"_You know what this is regarding; where is Zajeem?"_

"This is not your fight," said Kiber, "leave before I forget how long we've known each other."

"_We could sense what was happening from across the damned planet, Darth Kiber! Hand him over."_

"I can't do that. She cares nothing for him, unlike me!" he pointed to himself with his thumb.

Hask'ari spoke, _"We don't want this to get ugly, Kiber. If it comes to that however, then I shall rip your spine from your back!"_ Kiber could feel the ship vibrating as fighters circled them, like sharks waiting to feed.

"You are more than welcome to try, but it is you who would die in such a conflict." Kiber responded with a smirk across his face; he was going to test their boundaries or make them back off.

"_Please, we don't want to do this,"_ pleaded the Twi'lek, _"we owe her a lot, so we can't let you simply steal her child like this!"_

"She gave him to me willingly, after a bit of convincing." He smiled menacingly again and the pair looked to be getting annoyed.

"_I find that hard to believe, Kiber."_

"Ask her yourselves. She will give you the same story." The two of them were getting quite fed up with Kiber's stories.

"_We will give you a few moments to decide if you will come willingly or not. Until then, try anything and my fighters will leave your ship disabled."_ The picture vanished.

"Lynaree! Activate the 'Contingency Plan' and then get us out of here!"

"Straight away!" she called out through the ship.

Lord Pravus seemed uneasy, "What is the contingency plan?"

"You'll see…" Kiber answered, "You may want to sit down."

Lynaree flipped open a box on the console and pressed a blue button with a light blue circle on it. As she pushed it down a shockwave emitted from their ship, disabling the nearby fighters and even some of the systems on the Dreadnaught. Without a second thought she turned the ship ninety degrees upwards and engaged their Hyperspace drive, sending them into Hyperspace.

"What in the hell was that!?" exclaimed Xaffaj as he entered the room.

"The EMP I had installed two years back; never had to use it until now!" Lynaree shouted from the cockpit.

"Why doesn't it affect us?"

"That is not important." Kiber said.

"I think it's pretty important." Xaffaj said back.

"Well," said Lynaree as she walked into the room, "We coated the ship with a resin that-!"

"Never mind, don't care anymore."

* * *

The 'Merchant's Menace was making its way through the Hyperspace lane to Rhen Var. The crew was settled into their temporary quarters and Lymathe was still not sure why he was on this mission, but neither was anyone else.

"Didn't you already get paid for that job back on Tatooine?" asked Yowsa. Lymathe looked up.

"Oh, yeah. Hey you're that Miraluka chick right?"

She crossed her arms, "What gave it away?"

"Everything; for instance, how it seems like you are staring into my Karking soul every time you're near me!" he pointed at her non-existent eyes.

Bruudar looked up from his data pad and growled at Lymathe.

"I'm not being rude. I'm just telling the truth." He said shrugging his arms.

"Humans are just as intolerant as they say." She murmured.

"What was that!?"

"Lymathe," called Liam, "Calm down. She's just testing you and so far you fail."

"_How close are we to Rhen Var?"_ asked Jar Loon.

"Give us another day at least, and then we'll be there." The captain answered. Liam quickly tapped on Loon's shoulder and whispered to him.

"Come to my quarters in a few minutes with Yowsa. I assume I can trust you with a secret of sorts."


	21. Cold, but Warm inside

"_You broke the Jedi code so voluntarily?"_ Jar questioned. The cabin was dimly lit, but it would work for such a meeting. Yowsa still looked glaringly at Liam in disbelief; even she had not expected this.

"Yes, I did and so did Nakari. I don't regret it, and I never will." Liam answered with crossed arms.

"Connections like that can lead to the dark side." Yowsa explained.

"It seems to me that everything does…" he added.

"_Well… we're not here to judge you, just… make sure your daughter does not interfere with the mission."_ Jar Loon said. Yowsa looked genuinely surprised that he would let them off with only a warning, but it was not as if they could punish him in some way; they were not masters.

"That won't be much of a problem."

"_I'm glad to hear that, friend."_ He patted Liam on the shoulder and left the room. Yowsa was still standing there glowering at him through her force vision.

"Why? Why did you do it?" She asked awkwardly.

"On a desolate, barren planet even you would give into temptations easily.

"So that's all it was; untrue temptations?"

"No, I still love her, I still love our child. Neither of those will change who I am."

She looked concerned now, "You say it won't, but you don't know that yet…" she waved her hand and the door opened behind her. She left Liam alone to think about what they had said.

* * *

"Where are we going anyways?" asked Xaffaj with his feet up on the Dejarik table. Kiber was sitting beside him and examining his saber.

"Dromund Kaas, to assemble our fleet, and then we ride for the far mid-rim to drop off the radar and intercept any republic scouts we find."

"So… we're just gonna be sitting on our asses for months on end?" he asked.

"Likely, yes."

Xaffaj put his feet down and turned to face his brother in full, "Mandalorians don't sit around for that long, Kiber!"

"Well, learn. We need to disappear for a time and then return when everything has blown over." He answered as he crossed his arms.

"We have to get earth-bound once in a while!"

"Don't fret, we will go down to Nar Shaddaa once every so often." He again waved away his brother's worries, "Now, I must go contact my fleet commander." He got out of his seat and stretched his still injured back. Kiber walked across the room to the holoprojector, flipped the switch, input the address, and pressed the confirm option down with his gloved finger. The hologram of his fleet General, the one he had made General more than two years ago, shimmered as it grew from the projector.

"_It is good to hear from you, my Lord!"_ he said enthusiastically.

"Likewise General Hamlin, but I have to ask you to amass our fleet above Dromund Kaas in preparation for my arrival."

The General did not dare go against his superior, _"I understand, Darth Kiber. We will begin preparations immediately."_

"Do that." Kiber shut off the Projector and walked away, toward the cockpit.

* * *

Rhen Var was a truly desolate planet that only the bravest or most foolish of people would live upon. Ulic Quel-Droma himself had gone into exile on the ice planet, and it was here that he died after having redeemed himself by training one more apprentice before his demise. This planet wept sorrowful cries that echoed throughout the force; this was a world of much grief and past suffering. Even when he focused all of his energy to sense what was on the planet Liam could barely sense more than a few flickers of life here and there. They approached the planet and the crew of the Menace all crammed into the cockpit to view the snowy wastes as they began their landing run. Lymathe landed the ship outside of an ancient Jedi temple that matched the coordinates to the letter. As he shut down the thrusters and disengaged the locks on the ship the door to the temple opened up; it took four men to push it open. Liam walked down the ramp first and was hit with the rouge winds of the frosty planet's weather sending a sub-zero chill down his spine. He would want to get inside as soon as possible. He walked up to the troopers that waited at the gate with his companions following behind him; everyone was shivering in the cold. Liam feared for his daughter, Arderna; he hoped that the cold would not be too much for her frail body to handle. Nakari had Arderna wrapped up tightly in a blanket in her arms and she kept the child close to her chest. Liam approached the first trooper and shook his freezing cold gauntlets.

"It's good to meet you," Liam said, "but can introductions wait until after we get inside?"

"_Of course, Master Jedi."_ The trooper ushered them inside and the four soldiers closed the giant stone gate behind them with a thud. The soldiers all took their helmets off and dispersed around the base to do whatever it was they were doing before. The base appeared like no more than an old ruin, but with numerous heating fixtures and what appeared to be large tubular wires hooked to the walls of the temple. It was hard for Liam to believe that anyone used to live here.

"My name is Captain Trevol." The captain gave a salute to his Jedi allies, "I welcome you all to one of the worst stations in the galaxy!"

That did not bode well if even the captain of these troops could not remain optimistic, "Well, I think Rhen Var is an interesting location full of much lost history." Liam said. Trevol just laughed.

"Yeah, if you want to venture out into the wastes." He walked across the main chamber of the ruined and slightly subterranean temple, to a group of chairs and tables. He sat down and the rest of the new arrivals joined him. Liam noticed that his armor was much worn; paint was chipped off in many places and it was dented in other places.

"You must be Liam? Pleasure to meet you. You…" he pointed to Ardernus now, "You're that War hero that saved all of those little Jedi younglings, right?" Ardernus took off his helmet and sat down as well.

"I had lots of help, but yes."

"Heh," laughed the captain, "Modesty is in low supply around here."

"_Where will we be staying?"_ interrupted the Kel-dor Jedi.

"Well we have quarters set up for you down that hall there." The captain pointed to his left.

"_Thank you."_ Jar Loon walked off down the hall without another word.

"Strange fella." He went back to the topic at hand, "Have you already been told why you're here?"

"We are to ask as a Deterrent against Imperial invasion." Answered Nakari.

"Yeah, that's what they would've told ya, but you can't act as a deterrent if no one knows you're here, can you?"

Jorek looked at the man, "What are you implying?"

"The mission they gave you was a polite way of saying that the Jedi actually want to get more involved in the war; finally! But they would never say that directly." Trevol said.

"I can see how that would make sense." Said Liam who had a general distrust for the members of the council, all except Satele of course; she was always dependable and not indecisive unlike the others.

"Exactly." Trevol said, "I knew you would understand that-!"

"That does not mean that we will fight for you, though." Liam cut the captain off abruptly.

"I… I understand, Master Jedi." He seemed disappointed, but it was not his place to decide what the goals of a Jedi were in this war, "Would you like to be shown to your—!" he stopped suddenly and looked at Ruro'r, "Is that a Sand Person?"

"Yes. His name is Ruro'r, and he speaks through telepathy so don't be surprised if you hear a little voice." Explained the boy's master.

_Like this!_ He said. The Captain did appear mildly impressed.

"Well… let's be off to your quarters then."

* * *

Darth Kiber and his companions had arrived at his fleet's position, in orbit over the Imperial Capital of Dromund Kaas. It was a fleet of two Dreadnaughts, and three smaller frigate class ships. Lynaree docked with the Dreadnaught that contained his quarters, and called ahead to remind them to make ready a place for his 'Family' to stay as well. The fury was one of many ships in the hangar, although it absolutely dwarfed the small single man fighters that lined the docking bay. As they stepped out of the ships loading ramp they were welcomed by rows upon rows of soldiers in salute of their supreme commander: Darth Kiber. It made him feel powerful while he walked down toward General Hamlin and stood intimidatingly in front of him. Kiber had his mask on.

"_General Hamlin,"_ he shook the man's hand, _"It is good to see you in person again."_ Kiber's idea of fear being a factor of maintaining order was different from most sith lords. He would occasionally make an example of those whom have failed him, but would maintain his approachable and respectful nature as to give the appearance that he could snap at any moment; it kept his soldiers in line. The General had seemed to have grown a pair since he was promoted two years ago. He should have been proud; no one had ever maintained the position of General in Kiber's fleet for this long.

"The honor is all mine, my Lord." He bowed respectfully to the group, and then noticed something in Lynaree's arms. He walked over and saw the baby in her embrace, "This must be the young master Zajeem; it is good to see him in person finally."

"_It is; we must keep him from Kyshwanee and her representatives at all costs. That will be your primary objective here."_ Kiber ordered.

"My men will not let those scum-sucking _lesser_ Sith anywhere near the child, WILL WE MEN!?"

"_SIR, NO SIR!"_ announced the group of soldiers; not even a quarter of the entire fleet. Kiber half expected Zajeem would begin crying, but he did not.

"_That is good to hear. Is the room that is connected to mine renovated yet?"_ Kiber asked.

"Yes, it will function as a nursery with the best protection in the galaxy: You!" he said. Kiber chuckled softly and then turned to the hallway.

"_I suggest your men get back to work, General."_ Kiber hinted. Hamlin turned and snapped his fingers. The rows of at least a hundred soldiers (If not more) saluted one last time and then turned and marched back to their respective duties. The troupe of seven walked to the large durasteel door and Hamlin swiped a car through the keypad to the side and entered the code: 650616. The door slid in numerable places almost like a puzzle sliding apart. When the door was opened Hamlin guided them down the hall to the quarters where they would be staying, opposite that of the soldier's accommodations. Six luxurious rooms lined the short metallic hallway.

"All of you may pick a room to your liking. Darth Kiber, your room is this way." He pointed to one of the rooms farthest down the hall, "My room is opposite yours so if any of you have questions, do not hesitate to ask." Hamlin walked off to his own room and the automatic door shut behind him.

Lynaree handed Zajeem over to his father, "He has a real thick accent; I don't like it." Kiber laughed at her.

"_What about my accent?"_

"Yours is just… cute." She said teasingly.

* * *

"This planet is far too cold, I do not like it." Said Yowsa. The group of five Jedi were talking amongst themselves in Liam and Nakari's room, the baby was asleep behind them in a cradle they had brought with them.

"_You were always a complainer, Yowsa. Be more positive."_ Said the always wise Jar Loon.

"He is right," agreed Jorek, "We must remain positive if we wish to maintain our emotional health on this forsaken planet."

"That is easy for you to say, you two have been all around the galaxy, I however have hardly ever left Tython ever since the sacking." Yowsa continued to defend her opinion.

"Do not fret. We may find something interesting on this planet if we give it a chance." Said the usually positive Liam. He was having troubles remaining positive lately; especially with the news that his brother was still up and about in the galaxy. He reached out but could never feel his brother in the force, like the force wanted to be rid of him, or maybe even as if it were ashamed of him. It was hard to decide if the force was truly a living thing or not and if it felt like sentients do; that was always a topic of debate among Jedi.

"Why don't we see what this planet has to offer, maybe we could even find the temple where Ulic died!" said the recently optimistic Nakari.

"That is unlikely." Said Yowsa; pessimistic as always, not open to new ideas like the rest of her kind.

"Sure, just dash our hopes why don't you." Liam mocked.

"_Perhaps we should take some speeders and go exploring tomorrow, Liam."_ Loon asked.

"Yes, that sounds like a worthwhile idea." He agreed. Yowsa looked less than ecstatic, a lot less.

"I'm not going; you four can go."

Jorek waved his hand in front of him, "I must stay and guard, and Nakari must care for Arderna."

"I guess it's just us two." Liam smiled.

"_Heh, I suppose so."_

* * *

Kiber had his mask and his outer armor off now and to the side of his king-sized bed covered in lavish fabrics from distant worlds. He was reading a news report on the recent developments with republic and imperial cooperation, something he despised. He agreed with Malgus – they should have destroyed the republic when they had the chance. He had heard of the legend of the Sith'ari from his uncle, something every sith should aspire to be. The perfect sith that would destroy the sith order and then rebuild it stronger than ever; even stronger than the Jedi order. He had wanted to be that sith, to bring perfect order, but visions of the future – far into the future – plagued his dreams late at night. He was not sure why the force would want to show him these visions when he could not even act on them, but the force persisted; perhaps to prove a point? Whatever the reason, his visions told him that the true Sith'ari would be vicious beyond measure. A man born to a poor family, he would rise up and become the _Bane_ of the Jedi; he would be perfect. Not if Kiber could help it. Kiber would bring order to the galaxy no matter what it may take. All of this thinking hurt his head; he was smart but whenever he thought of how his plans could fail his head began to burn. A noise interrupted what was supposed to be his time of meditation, although he was not doing much meditating. It was Lynaree; she had opened the door in an attempt to get to see Zajeem without disturbing Kiber, but nothing got passed him.

"Is something the matter?" he asked the Twi'lek. She took one of her Lekku in her hands and began to rub it nervously. _Oh great, I knew this would happen eventually_ he thought to himself.

"Just… thought I'd see what you were doing." She spoke nervously as she sat down on his bed beside him. They sat there for what gave the impression of hours. This was even more awkward than he had expected.

"Is there… something you wanted to say?" he said knowing the answer beforehand.

"I've never been good at this… so here goes." She gathered her breath, "Do you like me?" she looked as if she might have regretted even asking. Kiber prepared to say something but decided against it. Instead he leaned in close to her face and felt her blue cheek with his ungloved hand; his real hand.

"I've been asking myself that question since we met," before he could make his move, Lynaree had already sealed her lips to his. They sat on his bed for at least a minute as they explored each other with their hands. They released from their kiss and breathed for once, "and I always knew the answer."

Lynaree could not help but laugh, "You are so damned cheesy!"

"It works though, right?" he asked.

"Definitely." And they kissed again.


	22. A Cure for Chaos or a Mother's Nightmare

That night Kiber's dreams where beset by memories that he would rather forget, but that at the same time strengthened his resolve. These memories taught him some valuable lessons. Chief among these memories were those of his uncle, and when they had first met…

* * *

"I want to make you into a Dark Lord of the Sith." Kiberan said with a smile across his pale – almost grey – face.

Kiber looked at his uncle with questioning eyes, "You want me… to rule the sith?"

"Yes. My original plan was to use you, like the other lords would. But you have opened my eyes."

Kiber still looked confused, "What… why?"

"Because I can sense much power in you…" he looked toward his nephew with intense fire in his yellow eyes, "you will become much more powerful than me, and I know it."

"I… I don't think I want to use the power of the Dark side!" Kiber said this out of fear of losing his humanity; he had always been taught that the darkness in the force would turn you into a soulless husk of your former self. Now however he just feared for his life in this sith stronghold.

"Why not?" Darth Kiberan asked, "You have seen its power."

"Yes, and it was glorious; hell, it gave me the power I needed to catch a Jedi master off guard, but…" he looked down at the ground, "When I killed them… it felt like a part of me had died."

"It was your arrogance that died, or so I thought." Kiberan said slyly, "Perhaps I will have to show you…" he walked over to the young Kiber and grabbed a hold of the boy's head with both hands. Before Kiber could object he was experiencing what he believed to be his uncle's memories. Stories of his masters holding him back, even more so than his own did. Tales spun in his head of the dark side of the force that were not inherently true, but the Jedi continued to spin them like the threads of a wicked spider's web. The sith attacked Kiberan while he was on a mission with his master, whom he was then forced to kill by his new sith master. The memories that followed were a gory collection of all the pain Kiberan had brought upon others and the people he had mutilated in the name of the sith, in his own name. A running theme through the recollections was that he continuously grew stronger every time he gave into his hatred and delved deeper into his inner darkness; it was very nearly sickening to Kiber, a poison to his Jedi mind. It felt magnificent, except for one detail that was burned into his brain and a burn that would remain within his mind forever: the chaos. Everything in his life seemed so chaotic, and Kiber did not like it; it blistered his mind, tortured his thoughts and left him with a pained feeling. He needed to stop the chaos, to leave it in his wake, but how could you stop chaos when your life revolved around killing, and cheating – betrayal and hatred? What was the opposite of chaos? Order. No matter what became of his future he would always be half-concentrated on the pain that he felt this day; he had to stop it. His psyche had been torn apart and the only way to stop the chaos that tore through his thoughts was to use the chaos, use his dark emotions and his passion and then once he had gained absolute power he would use that power to bring his own balance, or so help the force he would destroy himself in his madness. He knew what had to be done. He gasped for breath once more as he was released from the sith's grasp and fell to his hands and knees. He trembled on the floor as his uncle loomed overhead.

"I see… so clearly now…" Kiber had said.

* * *

He was jettisoned from his dreams and awoke beside Lynaree with her blue skin touching the pale surface of his chest; her head rested upon his muscular torso. He was afraid he would wake her with his heavy breathing if he did not stop his chest from beating nearly thrice a second. But how could he stop his heart from palpitating like this when his head burned like the long dunes of Tatooine in the heat of both suns. He slowed his breathing as much as he could, but it seemed hopeless. He moved his love to the other side of the bed slowly and got out of their bed; they were both only in undergarments. He sat up before he departed with his hands holding his sweat covered face. He needed to calm his nerves somehow, but how? Kiber climbed out of the double bed and walked over to Zajeem's door and then he opened it with the button to the side of the entrance. The room was pitch-black but Kiber did not dare turn the lights on; his son needed much rest. Kiber hovered over the cradle and watched his boy as he slept. Zajeem was not strong in the force, but Kyshwanee was right; he had an impressive future ahead of him – Kiber could at least sense that much. The horned child stirred slightly in his sleep and let his mouth hang open. Before he even began to realize it Kiber had already forgotten about his night-terrors. Zajeem was proof that Kiber could do more than destroy. Maybe he was not cut-out of the right clothe to be a sith lord? That was not a choice though, there was still so much chaos left in the galaxy with only one way to get rid of it – in his eyes. He would stay awake some nights and wonder if he had made the right decision in revoking his Jedi heritage. Wondering would not help however; he had already made a decision and even with the power of the dark side he could not reverse the flow of time.

* * *

Liam and Company gathered in the mess hall the next day, but there were less than fifty soldiers which made the group uneasy about the bases state of affairs. Until Lymathe could make contact with one of his old smuggling buddies they would have to survive off of MREs for every meal of their day. Jar Loon was served a special meal-ready-to-eat with a straw that connected to his mask. He expressed that it still tasted rather foul regardless of how it was served.

"Jor," Liam spoke, "I need you to talk to the captain today about how the base has been doing for numbers." Jorek looked up from his breakfast.

"Sure thing." He said as he raised his spoon to his mouth with some sort of gruel in it.

"_There are eighteen hours in a Rhen Varian day so we have around nine hours to start our expedition."_ Reminded the Kel-dor. Liam stood up from his meal and wiped his face with the napkin nearby.

"Well then we should set off now." Liam said with a smile stretched across his cheeks. Liam was always ready to explore and that was part of the reason why his masters always had to keep an eye on him as a boy.

"_Well, let us go then," _he turned to the captain and walked over to his table, _"Do you have two speeders we could borrow?"_

"Of course, Master Jedi. Look in the room beside the hangars."

"_Thank you."_ And the two Jedi walked off toward the hangar.

* * *

"This is a nice speeder-bike." Admired Liam while he was grabbing at then handles of a particular speeder he liked with a silver paintjob and two rear thrusters that jutted out at the back. There was at least ten different speeder bikes stored in here; Liam had to wonder why there was so many.

"_I… shall have this one."_ Jar Loon placed his four fingered hand on a speeder bike with a dark blue finish and a smooth and streamline design. The two Jedi brought their bikes out of the storage area and mounted them. Jar opened the Hangar door with the force and a sub-zero chill was sent arcing through their bodies as the wind rushed in. As far as uninhabited planets went this one was particularly unforgivable.

"You ready!? Follow me, okay!?" Liam screamed over the sound of the harsh icy winds.

"_Then I shall lead us back!"_ Loon declared jokingly. The pair shared a silent laugh and revved their engines. Before a flag could drop they had disappeared into the mist and had only their force sense to tell each other where the other was in the barren frozen wastelands. They ripped and tore around spire like rocks that jutted out of the surface of the planet and ascended into the foggy white sky. It was an adrenaline rush that almost anyone with the skill to do it enjoyed, and with the force it proved even easier and a lot more fun. Liam knew they should not be using the force for such idle fun but they would eventually get to do some work so in his mind it more than made up for it.

* * *

After an hour or more of riding through the wastes Liam could see something in the distance, like a giant tower of some kind. He rode toward it and his Jedi partner followed without hesitation. He noticed Loon coming up beside him.

"_Are we going to explore there!?" _he pointed at the citadel.

"Yeah, let's see what's hidden there!" they arrived within the minute and left their transports below the towering spire of brick and what appeared to be shale, but that couldn't be right. They approached the base of the construct with caution; expecting the unexpected. They put their hoods up as they entered and were greeted by darkness with only small slit windows to cut through said darkness. Liam traveled down the old stony halls and his companion followed closely behind him. He could see perfectly in the dark luckily so loon trusted him as he led down the corridors that the darkness did not swallow their minds as well as their corporeal forms. It was odd being able to 'feel' colors instead of seeing them, but Liam did not know the difference, neither did he know the difference between light and dark; unless it came to the force. Their footsteps echoed as they stepped left and right and left and right down the hall looking for any sign of old Jedi presence. Loon grabbed Liam's shoulder.

"_It is getting very dark, and my own force vision is very limited."_

"Then continue to use my shoulder as a guiding leash my little Akk Dog." Loon just laughed at Liam and shrugged off the comment. The two Jedi knights continued down the halls at a relaxed pace, making sure not to rush past the hidden details of the history imbedded in the stones. Liam made an abrupt break in his stride as he noticed something on the nearby wall. He turned and did not say a word to his friend; instead he took his hand and brushed the dust and dirt off of the symbol that he saw before him.

"_What did you find?" _he whispered softly to Liam.

Liam continued to brush it down and then realized what it was; the symbol of the Jedi order.

"Freeze! Put your hands up!" the two Jedi whirred through the still air as they spun around with sabers drawn. Six men dressed in raggedy armor had blaster rifles pointed at them. One lit a miniature floodlight and put it on the ground.

"Jedi do not willingly put their weapons down if there is a chance of survival." Liam answered sternly.

"I don't wanna have'ta do this," said the human leader, "the boss'll be real mad if I have to kill Jedi." he raised his gun higher, but it was pushed down by a slender hand that was very delicate looking.

A woman's voice spoke through the dimness of the room, "You're right, I would be." Liam turned and felt something he had never felt before, this person was so… familiar and it gave him a sense of comfort. Liam lowered his weapon but his Kel dor friend kept his raised.

"Put your weapon down." Liam said. Before he could put his weapon away, the woman spoke.

"That voice…" the woman whimpered and then rushed over to Liam and put his hood down. Liam did not know why, but he did not resist even as she recoiled and turned on her own lamp; she put her hands to her mouth then. "You look just like him…" her troops looked just as confused as him.

"Like whom?" he asked. The woman put her dark hood down and revealed her pale skin and brown hair.

"Like Liamen… Like my husband…"

* * *

Kiber and Lynaree walked close beside one another as they explored the ship for the first time. Kiber had commissioned for it to be constructed nearly a year ago in the ship yards above a nearby moon and it had finally been finished just recently. Every inch of the ship was sparkly new and monochrome, just the way the empire liked everything. Kiber felt like he was in control of the galaxy when he had his Twi'lek companion at his side. He felt complete in a way he had never felt when he was with Kyshwanee – he understood now why it was not meant to be. Perhaps it could be said that Kyshwanee even did him a favor by giving him a child, even if it was meant to be hers.

"If we… you know, get serious, I don't know what to say if Zajeem eventually asks why his mom is a Twi'lek?" Lynaree had obviously become more open recently.

"We tell him the truth, and tell him that we wish his real mother was not such a Nerf-herding, back-stabbing harlot." And Kiber was still as blunt as he often was.

"Whoa, you're a little cold hearted." She said.

"Well, so was she." He continued walking and waited for her to start the conversation again, hopefully on a different topic this time.

"How will we tell the others?"

"We won't." Kiber said. Lynaree was not sure she had heard him correctly.

"What do you mean, 'we won't'?"

"I mean they do not need to know. If they find out then so be it, but if not then who cares." Kiber answered. Lynaree had not expected him to be so secretive, but it was his decision since he was in the position of greater power. They paced down the halls of the ship again and were greeted by a guard when the Darth stopped in front of a door.

"_Greetings Darth Kiber sir!" _the guard put his hand to his head in salute, _"I suspect you and your friend would like entrance to the comms room?"_ he gambled not putting his hand down.

"Yes, if you would kindly?"

"_Of course!"_ he put his hand down and turned to the console beside the entry to the room. The door opened and the man turned back to stand at attention. The couple entered the room without another word. Kiber approached the console and typed in the frequency of Nu'ro's dreadnaught. When the familiar blue figure appeared on the projector it was clear that Nu'ro was alone. The Comms room was very dimly lit and the blue light was the only practical source of illumination.

"Nu'ro. I have called to inform you that I have my whole fleet at my disposal now; you and your friends would have the best chance of survival if you avoided us." He smiled and awaited his old friend's response with a baited look.

"_So I see… personally I had not wanted to take the child from you, but I owed it to Kyshwanee. Out of respect I will keep this conversation short and tell you one thing."_

"Which is?"

"_I respect you, and think you are meant to keep the child, but you are like a seemingly benign cancerous sore on the body of the sith empire. One day you will be our own downfall and we will not realize it until it is too late,"_ he frowned, _"You may never even realize it."_

"How do you figure that?" The sith lord asked venomously. He was offended by such an accusation.

"_The other sith call ME soft; do you know what they call you?"_ Kiber did not like where this was going.

"What?"

"… "_Jedi"!"_ Kiber turned the projector off now and leaned on it while he gathered his thoughts. He would not be called a Jedi! Not by anyone!

"Is everything alright Kiber?" Lynaree asked as she caressed his arms with her soft blue hands. He could not feel her through his armor but he felt warm all the same.

"I… will be fine." He said.

* * *

"Like… you're father… am I right?" said the Jedi woman. Liam was not sure what to make of what she said; who was she?

"Who are you?"

"My name is Alaina Jaeshen. Are you…" she stuttered a bit before she was able to regain her composure, "Are you Liamen?"

"Yes, my name is Liamen, but my friends call me Liam."

"Liam…" the name rolled off her tongue like she had said it thousands of times, "Lee…"

"What?" questioned Liam when she said an unfamiliar name.

"Was your father named-!"

"Liamen, yeah…"

"… And… your mother?"

"I never met my mother, but I never knew who my father was until he was dead." He looked down at his silver bladed lightsaber and it brought him back to that day.

"But you have met your mother… she's right here." She was visibly beginning to tear up.

"You are, no…" he knew when he first saw her through the force, but he had not wanted to believe it for some reason. The troopers looked extremely muddled in their thoughts now; you didn't need the force to see that. Jar Loon believed that everything happened for a reason so he did not flinch when Alaina embraced Liam in a motherly hold. Liam did not know what to think, this was too new and sudden; not to mention how confused he was about why she was here in the first place.

"_This is an unexpected reunion and I am happy for you, but we must find a place that is a bit… warmer."_ The Kel-dor motioned towards the hall way that was blowing freezing cold air throughout.

"Yes," she said, "Your friend is right Liam. Follow me."

* * *

Alaina led the two Jedi back into the farthest reaches of the seemingly derelict temple, though back here the walls were lined with military grade lighting apparatuses and wires that took power from a generator in the nearby room. Eight cots lined the floor near the walls of the square room. One soldier sat on a stool across the room.

"You guys are back, and who's this?" asked the Mirialan woman.

"Kaepa, this is Liam, my son." She said.

Liam interrupted respectfully, "And my friend is named Jar Loon." Loon bowed while the other troopers passed by him to sit down on the floor. The human trooper stuck out because of his Mohawk of bleach blonde hair. Other than him there was a Gand trooper with his giant buggy eyes, another Human woman with short black hair, a Twi'lek man with green skin, a Togruta man with red skin and long horns atop his head, and a Kaleesh with an intimidating bone mask; common among his people.

"Let me introduce everyone before we get started, because this will be a long story." Liam nodded and sat down on the cold stone floor, Loon followed. "Everyone except Kaepa and me use code names, the Gand is named Techy; you can guess what he does, the Kaleesh," the Kaleesh man put his hand up and waved, "is Valor; he's nice enough, the human guy over there is Honcho; he's kind of a control freak.

"Screw you." He said.

"Yes, well... The Twi'lek is named Kilo and he is in love with explosives.

"You know it, Al." he said with a thumbs up.

"The Human gal is named ghoul and she's our recon chick." Liam was amazed at how informal she was with her squad, especially for a Jedi.

"Here, here." She agreed.

"Last but not least is the spiky headed bastard over there, End-zone; he's our heavy weapons specialist." The Togruta just waved and did not look up. Liam was uncomfortable here to say the least. His mother's crew was rather unapproachable, or it seemed that way.

"What about how you ended up here? Why would you be on Rhen Var?" Liam asked. He had many more questions, more… personal questions, but they would have to wait. In this light he could see that Alaina was wearing a nearly skin tight set of black armor and a hood.

"Where to start… okay, let's start with Voss…" she said with her arms spread out to emphasize the importance of this part of the story. Liam could tell this would be a very long story.


	23. Martyr of the Force

"I had arrived on Voss and met with my squad; we got off to a pretty good start too." Alaina explained, "I had to leave you and your father behind on Coruscant. It broke my heart."

"That… must have been hard." Liam tried to sympathize with her, but she continued as if he hadn't even spoken.

"We did the same thing for sixteen years – attacking random Imperial targets – and moved from planet to planet once in a while… until Coruscant was attacked." She went silent for a moment before she exhaled and then spoke again, "We were on Dantooine at the time and our commander refused to step down when we got the news. He ordered the murder of imperial troopers who had laid their arms down in the heat of battle, our men just… didn't stop firing." She shuddered and went still. The other troops put their heads down in regret, just as their Jedi General did, "When I got the news that Liamen was among the dead at the temple I… I…" she appeared as though she was going to cry, "They didn't find a body and the masters said he used a technique to pass on fully into the force… is that true?"

Liam slowly began to nod his head, "Yes, I sensed him disappearing into the force." Alaina let out a long sigh and then held her face with her left hand; it was wet from the moisture of her watering eyes.

"I sensed his passing, but I did not believe it until it was far past done."

"How did you end up here though?" He asked.

"_Yes, please let us know."_ Jar Loon was eager as well.

"Have you heard of a group of vigilantes that call themselves… The Exiles of Lost Honor?"

"_They're crooks; one of them is a rogue Jedi and…" _he stopped when he realized that she was the rogue Jedi.

"That's right; we're them. We came here in search of Jedi Artifacts."

"But why would you abandon the republic to become petty vigilantes without honor!?" Liam asked with his hand outreached toward his mother in a questioning manner.

"We have more honor than any of the Jedi at the temple." Liam was surprised she would make such a claim; his own mother, "We continued to fight evil while they sat back and watched; I still meditate daily and have achieved a steady enough balance in the force, but unlike them I make a difference, every day if I can help it."

"_How can you be so arrogant-!"_

"Oh, and your masters are not?" she quickly interrupted the Kel-dor.

"We know they are," Loon looked confused as to why Liam would say such a thing, "but that doesn't mean you can abandon us!"

"We didn't!" interjected the Mirialan trooper across the room. She had very intricate dot based tattoos on her green face, "We've been fighting for the republic every day since, and don't you dare say otherwise!" she threw her chair to the side and pointed at Liam. Her Kaleesh friend approached her and grabbed her shoulders.

"Calm down, you can't get worked up over something like that; they don't understand." She slowed her breathing and then nodded her head rapidly as she sat down against the wall. Valor turned to face Liam, "I'm sorry; she gets worked up easily." He shrugged.

"_No harm was done to either party, no apology is needed."_ Loon said very professionally.

"She's right though," continued Alaina, "We were the last group to leave the battle on Dantooine, and we regret not staying longer."

The Gand behind them seemed to be adjusting his mask because strange beeping and air pressure noises could be heard over the talking of Liam's mother.

"I looked at history for guidance, and realized why we won one of the greatest wars the republic had ever fought." She said.

"What?"

"In the Mandalorian wars, one man realized that we had to take a more direct approach if lives were to be saved: Revan."

Liam stood up, "I have great respect for him, but he turned to the dark side! Why would you want to be put into the same position!?"

"For the greater good," she replied, "If I must lose my humanity to preserve that of the innocent; then shackle me to the sith and throw us into a black hole."

* * *

Fluids of all kinds covered the floor of the hangar below a ship; unfortunately just as Darth Kiber had arrived to inspect the troops personally. One trooper slipped on the puddle and fell to the floor while the rest of his friends attempted to patch up the leak in the fuel storage area of the small fighter. The trooper on the floor took his helmet off and laughed a little; one would shudder to see how fast the blood rushed from his face once he saw his lord. He scrambled to his feet and stood in the fuel that covered him and the surface of the metal hangar's bottom. Lynaree stood back as Kiber's speed began to increase while he stepped toward the now saluting soldier. He stopped right before him.

"My- My lord I-!" He did not have enough time to choke out the last bit of air in his lungs, instead his windpipe found no room in which to let air in or out. Kiber lifted his victim into the air and watched as he struggled to breath. A female trooper that was working on the ship ran over to her lord and took off her helmet; she had darker skin. Kiber paid no attention to her.

"I ask you to keep things in ORDER, and you make everything such the opposite of orderly that it burns my eyes!"

"Please, my Lord," said the woman; Kiber turned to see her and he stared into her dark eyes with his intimidating stare, a gaze that could frighten rancors, "It was my fault! The leak was my fault!" she said. Kiber released the man and he slipped back onto his buttocks before scrambling away from Kiber as fast as possible.

"What did you say?" he asked the woman.

She swallowed and then spoke, "I caused the leak on the Fighter, sir!" Kiber walked closer to her until they were nearly touching. He wound up with the back of his gauntlet facing her and she prepared for the impact of his forceful slap. He stopped his hand right before her face and instead grabbed her by the chin.

"I was raised not to hit women unless it is in self defense; even then it is a shame." He threw her jaw down and she held her face in astonishment, "Your Commanders will hear about this." And he stormed off to the other side of the giant room where he found the door to the command center for this hangar. Lynaree seemed to have been forgotten about and she ran after him, but made sure not to get too close in case he was as angry as he looked.

The door to the command center opened up and everyone in the metal chamber turned in surprise. Kiber walked up to the man who looked to be in charge of this area of the ship and grabbed him at the collar.

"What is the meaning of this-!? My Lord!" the man's hat fell to the floor.

"Your men are in there destroying property of the empire! Do you not train your troops in basic mechanics!?"

"My Lord; Starships are hardly basic mechanics!"

"These were novice mistakes, a kowakian monkey-lizard would not make a mistake of this calibre!" he threw the man to the ground; brutally and he may or may not have popped his shoulder out of place.

"M-M-My Lord, I'm sorry! In the future we will train them better!"

"I'm sorry too commander, because I have to be rid of you now."

The man's pupils dilated enormously, "No, please!"

"This is your fault, not theirs; it is YOUR failure for letting them go so long undertrained." He prepared a ball of lightning in his hand and everyone else in the room took cover. Just before he could release his energy, someone grabbed his arm; Lynaree.

"Give him another chance; please!" she pleaded to the sith lord. For a moment he was about to strike out at her, but when he realized who it was he hated himself for what he was about to do. They looked into each other's eyes and then Kiber looked back at the man. The ball of electricity shrunk down to nothing, and while the commander was making his last wishes to whatever god he believed in he received a slight shock which made him jump up.

"That is all you will get; along with one more chance. If you mess up…"

"It will NOT happen, Darth Kiber; I promise!... Thank you, Milady!" he said to Lynaree. Quickly the couple turned and left the room. Once the door had closed behind them, Kiber turned to the Twi'lek.

"You owe me!" he pointed at her face menacingly. Lynaree smiled.

"I know how to repay you…" she said as she ran her fingers down his chest-plate.

"You are just too bad for your own good." He giggled.

* * *

"So you figure you can sacrifice yourself as some sort of… Martyr of the force!?" questioned Liam in astonishment.

"I suppose, if you wish to put it as such." Alaina replied. Liam was feeling fed up and the troopers looked as if they had not gotten any sleep in a long time.

"Please, just come back… we could use your help. I could get you a pardon from the senate! Your bounty would be forfeit. I've got friends in the senate it would be easy!"

"Liam…"

"You could come back and tell the council all you've learned over the years."

"Honey…"

"We could use your knowledge to beat the sith back to the edges of the galaxy!"

"Liam!" she screamed at her son. He stopped his ranting and rambling now, "We can't go back now, it's impossible."

"I just told you we could-!"

"No! You can't interrupt the senate for our sakes, but there is another option…"

"What?" Liam leaned in closer to his mother.

"You and your friends could come with us." The whole stone chamber became just as quiet as it was poorly lit.

"We can't do that. We won't abandon the order!"

"The order is falling apart!" she blurted out in a rage, "They don't understand that just because a theory was made a thousand and five hundred years ago doesn't render the theories of three thousand years ago untrue." Liam felt as if he had told this to himself before, and now his parent was telling him the same.

"_The Jedi Code?"_ Jar Loon asked.

"Yes…" she stood up, "They don't understand that in order to be strong we must root out the weak, but not like the sith do. We do not kill so willingly, no, no we would use our emotions in a positive way."

"But Emotions are too hard to control." Added Liam. Alaina ignored his remark.

"It is almost impossible to be grey to the force, but your father was close…"

"What do you mean?" asked Liam once again. What could she be implying?

"He was a believer in the Unifying Force, a theory that says that the force is not good or evil; one theory even suggests that even the dark side of the force would eventually lead back to the greater good – more or less, there is no dark or light side." Liam's head was spinning now as he tried to remember all of the books he had read in the library back on Coruscant and even the small one on Tython, "As long as you use your powers for good, then your actions are justified. If you have malicious intent in your heart, then you will destroy yourself. Sound Familiar?"

_For the better…_

"Very…" he muttered.

"_I have given this theory thought before. There are holes, but it is the same way with the theory of the living force… it is probable that what we call the dark side is actually within our own destructive thoughts and that-!"_ Loon cut himself off. Because he did not want to hear what was next.

"And that the council did not want to accept that the reason that we turn towards darkness is not because of an outside force, but something innate to us." Alaina finished hesitantly. Liam felt his heart with his hand and felt it's usually calm beat as its rate increased and he knew that there was at least some truth in her words.

"No, the council would not lie to people." Liam shook his head.

"They are not lying, they are in denial themselves… even if there is no way to prove the theory of the Living Force beyond a doubt, neither is it possible with the Unifying force."

"_So that likely means that the force actually gives power directly to us instead of us taking from it when it allows…"_

"And it explains why many Jedi are able to use sith powers without a single malevolent thought in their nearly pure minds…" Liam mumbled.

"You two are just finishing my sentences." She shrugged. Liam grabbed his mother's hand.

"Please come with us…"

"I… I can't, I'm sorry." She pushed his touch away and stepped back. Liam stepped back as well.

"Then go before we decide it is better to stop you." He said while trying to hide his disappointment.

"Here's my Holocom frequency." She held out a piece of paper which Liam took, "Call me if you ever get into trouble; we'll come running."

"Thank you… for a lot of things, but…"

"Yes?"

"You've missed so much of my life… it… it doesn't look like you had much choice, but… but I still want to be mad at you." Liam crossed his arms and squeezed down on his fore arms in frustration. His mother leaned in and kissed his forehead lightly.

"You have every right to be angry, but do not give in to those emotions. They are very counterproductive." She smiled. They began packing up then, and the two Jedi knights left to get back to their 'Home' before the storm swallowed them.

* * *

_Compassion… Love… do not… forget…_

Kiber sat up in his bed and could not shake the feeling he had; when he wiped his face of sweat his skin would simply excrete more. Lynaree was across the bed but it felt as if someone had been pounding on his head for the past half hour. Maybe he liked Lynaree because of who she reminded him of, a person that only created thoughts of regret in Kiber's head. Xu Fane was the only person that Kiber had thought he could have been with forever, until Lynaree of course. Now his thoughts where everywhere, and the head ache just became worse and worse. He wondered if he would even be able to get back to sleep like this; it was not a very comfortable ailment. Lynaree was sleeping like a rock on the other hand. She was so innocent looking when she was asleep. Kiber walked over to his desk and activated his Holonet viewer. News of the cold war was the same as it usually was, with both sides trying to keep peaceful, but ending with a verbal fight virtually every time they joined for a summit or meeting of any kind. These people would like nothing more than to use each other as target practice. It was like giving a package of thermite and a lighter to a toddler; Idiots – the whole lot of them. Kiber still had an annoying aching in his brain, and no amount of worrying would make that go away. So instead he sat on the couch across from his side of the bed and waited until the sounds of the ship slowly rocked him back to sleep. His dreams were still plagued with the same regret that had been before. He would get his sleep, but his mind would slip further toward insanity. His sins should not haunt him; he was a sith. But that did not stop his conscious from showing itself. He would have a rough chat with Hamlin the next morning, and prove to his subordinates that he was a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

Liam and Nakari were alone in their quarters, except for the baby of course. Nakari had a staggered expression on her light face. Arderna had been asleep for the whole day from what Nakari had said to Liam. "What!? Your mother was here? What are you talking about?" she said still confused as to what exactly he was talking about. Her confusion was understandable considering that he had never even known his mother until just an hour ago.

"She left the order; she's rogue."

"Well then why didn't you bring her in?" she shook her head.

"This is my MOTHER we're talking about here!" he was offended, "I'm not going to throw her to the mercy of the council."

"It's our duty, though!"

"Don't you think I know that!?" he hushed his voice so he would not wake the infant. Nakari brushed her hair back with her left hand and sighed.

"I love you." She said, "But I'm not sure if I can trust you on this."

"Why not?" he asked suspiciously.

"… She told you something didn't this woman; it's changed you, I can tell even now." She pointed at his face. Liam groaned softly and then lied back further on the bed.

"Yes, she did. What about it?"

"What did she say?" Nakari lazed down with him and felt his neck, convincingly. Liam smiled.

"Okay, I'll tell you…"


	24. Dark Hoods Hide Old Wounds

It was dark in the room while the storm outside made noises that resounded through the ancient temple. Liam and Nakari were sitting in their room on the side of their double bed. They had just finished talking. Nakari still looked confused and unsure.

"It seems like an excuse to legitimize the dark side of the force… don't you think?" she asked Liam.

"I see what you mean, but I'm sure it isn't like that."

"And how do you know that?" she crossed her arms.

"When I was facing Kiber back on Coruscant I felt my hatred for what he'd done fill me; every fiber of my being. In the end however nothing changed, my intentions were righteous and that was enough to hold me back from darkness." He seemed so sure of himself.

"I'm not sure that proves anything?" she contested. Liam shook his head.

"Ever since my mother explained it to me… the Unifying force… I've started to feel the force differently as well."

"But differently how?" Nakari asked.

"I can feel it, but for once it does not feel like light and dark; it just feels… right, true, proper, some would even say peaceful." He got off of the bed and walked over to the other side of the room where Arderna's cradle was. She slept soundly in her crib. This was the kind of peace that the Jedi strived for; could it be achieved through the use of even negative emotions?

"That sounds wonderful… You Miraluka are so lucky to be able to feel the force so well."

"It's not all it's cracked up to be." He giggled a little and then pointed at his covering on his face. She laughed back.

"I'm just not sure I could believe that the whole galaxy is just… Grey…" Nakari held her head in her hand. Liam went over and kissed her neck.

"With me here I'm sure we could both believe that emotions don't have to be as negative as the Jedi say they are."

"But what about the truly negative emotions?"

"We use them to do the positive; the work of the force." He whispered.

* * *

A Republic general was sitting in a cantina on Coruscant enjoying a drink with two guards; they were waiting for someone that had something they would need. A moment later a man walked in the front door to the bar wearing a long black cloak that concealed him entirely; no signs of what race he was showed through. He sat down across from the general and crossed his arms. He put his head down lower so his hood would drape over his face. The general put his liquor bottle down and wiped his mouth, not very formal-like.

"We trusted your information from two years ago and it got a lot of good men killed, so first off: Why should we trust you again? Second: Why shouldn't we tell the Jedi you're here?" he said. The man put his head up just slightly.

"Artumez's information was solid, it was their incompetence that got those men killed; this information is just as reliable." He slid a data chip across the table and the general quickly deposited it in his pocket. "Just make sure you bring more troops this time." He cackled lightly through the darkness of his veil. The general snarled and got up to leave.

"We'll be leaving now Mr. Kentari, you're on a short leash." They walked towards the door and the man called out to him.

"Do bring him in alive, yes?" the general simply shook his head restlessly and left with his troops watching the cloaked man's every move. When they were gone the man continued lounging in his seat as he smirked below his mask and hood. An addictive darkness swallowed up the man's mind when he thought of all the horrible things he would do to Kiber once he had his hands around his neck.

* * *

"Your troops are very underwhelming General Hamlin." Spoke Darth Kiber. The general looked unfazed by the Sith Lord's menacing look.

"I understand, my lord, but it is hard getting reliable training personnel." He adjusted the collar of his shirt and Kiber had decided that he had had enough of his snobby behavior. He approached his general and grabbed him by his newly adjusted collar; he looked very surprised that Kiber would touch him so threateningly without warning. He stared into his lord's eyes and saw hell, the void, and that continuing down his path would be his ticket there.

"I know it's hard…" said the Darth softly, "But you perform well under pressure so I'm sure you'll come up with something."

"Y-y-y-yes, Darth Kiber!" he said in a panic. Kiber let him go and brushed off the man's shoulder; Hamlin made a point not to move an inch.

"Good…" he walked back out into the hallway connecting their rooms and he heard the intercom turn on. It was Hamlin.

"_All Training instructors, captains, and commanders will report to their quarters to receive a Holocommunication from me; that is all."_ There was a click and then the sound of footsteps as people made their way to whatever they were supposed to be doing. Lord Pravus emerged from his own automatic door, for once. He had sat in his room in meditation for two full days now and he looked just as ready to kill as before.

"Pravus, you must be famished. Come, you should eat." Kiber offered his apprentice. The Draethos looked at his master and smiled slightly.

"I would be honored." The two of them walked down the metal halls of the ship and watched as people went by with fear in their minds. They heard whispers from the mouths of troopers as they passed by and caught a glimpse of who they were fighting for. "So I heard you had a talk with Hamlin."

"Yes, hopefully we will have our training problem fixed before long."

"Do not fear master. We still have more than enough skilled soldiers." He said to the master.

"I suppose, yes." Kiber agreed. "But if we are attacked…"

"That won't happen, Master." Pravus tried to convince his master.

"You know that we must always be wary of the future; it is always too dark to see clearly." Suddenly from around the corner came Xaffaj with both of his pistols holstered.

"Oh hey! I was just down at the shooting range and your boys are a pretty good shot."

"A good shot you say…" this conflicted with the reports that were being given to him by his supervisors on the ships. From what he heard his troops where quite under performing in most fields. Something was not right.

"Um… Pravus you go get some food for yourself; Xaf, come with me." He did not take time to explain himself; he simply turned and walked back toward the hangar. Xaffaj ran after him and put his helmet on.

"_What's the rush, Darth?"_ he asked.

"I knew something was wrong, I felt it."

"_What?"_

"Shut up and follow me." There was one person who had access to both the engineering departments and the weapons range on a regular basis: The supervisors themselves. The dark skinned woman he had met yesterday; her name tag said Supervisor Sallen, she had no imperial accent, and her records only went back three months ago. There was no doubt in Kiber's mind that she was a republic spy. "Where are we in space currently?"

"_If we came out of Hyperspace right now we wouldn't be far from Hutta."_ Just as he had suspected.

"Follow me and do what I tell you; our lives may depend on it."

"_Sure thing."_ The Darth raised his wrist to his mouth and spoke.

"Hamlin, cancel all of your meetings. Training isn't the problem after all."

* * *

"_Now focus, and don't let anything distract you."_ instructed Jar Loon to Liam's Padawan Ruro'r. Ruro'r's hand fluttered in the air in front of him. A large stone the size of his head floated a few feet away from him.

_It's so… hard… to focus…_ he said.

"_It will become second nature, young one."_ He watched as Ruro'r hurled the rock against the wall leaving a small indent. The knight looked startled at how fast a learner Ruro'r was. _"Good job."_

_Thank you, master. _The sand person bowed. Liam walked into the room and Ruro'r ran up to his actual master.

"Hello Ruro'r and hello to you Loon." Liam said.

"_Greetings."_

_Master Liam, could we please practice with sabers?_ The eager student asked. His master smiled.

"Fine, grab a pair of practice sabers out of your luggage." He said. The small Padawan appeared excited even if he did not show his face and he ran off down the frozen halls to his room. Liam turned to the Kel-dor and his face went straight.

"_Have you thought on what your mother said?"_ Jar Loon asked.

"Only every waking second since then." Liam replied. The other knight sighed.

"_Have you meditated on it?"_

"Of course I have."

"_Have you come to a conclusion; have you made an opinion or a theory?"_ he asked as he shrugged his robe covered arms. Liam could see their breathes as they both respired in the chilled air of the base.

"Have you?" he asked back.

"_Yes. Would you like to hear it first? Or would you like to tell first?"_

"I'd very much like to hear your opinion." Liam said as he sat down in a nearby chair. Loon grabbed another seat and pulled it closer to his friend.

"_Through my research and meditation on the subject I have determined that the theory of the Unifying Force is more than plausible."_ He got out of his seat and began pacing back and forth as he spoke, _"The theory of the unifying force states that there is only one force, a single entity that treats all beings equally and that the malevolent thoughts in a force user can corrupt the balance it brings, leading to it appearing as two separate entities; while in reality it is one."_ He took a deep breath and then continued, _"Many Jedi throughout history have used seemingly 'Sith' related abilities and remained on the light side of the force; I have come to the conclusion that perhaps there is no sides to the force, just the side that the force user chooses or in some cases is forced into by certain circumstances."_ He sat back down after his explanation was finished. _"It is a trick of the mind."_ He said.

"I see we share opinions…" said Liam softly, "but we can't let the council know that or we'd be ousted from the order."

"_It's hard to believe that our own minds are our worst enemies."_ The both of them went silent, until Loon spoke again, _"What are you going to teach your apprentice?"_ he said. Liam had never considered that maybe Ruro'r could be taught this version of the truth; he merely focused on training him. Liam decided to avoid the question for now.

"I can't help but notice that a lot of your own theory was not in the texts I read; were these your own theories?" Liam asked.

"_I found some other texts in the Jedi archives – after a bit of hacking done of course."_ He cackled softly, _"These theories have no official name; they are just another way of viewing the unifying force; except these teachings truly are forbidden by the council. They are teachings that your mother spoke about in that as long as your intentions remain pure and noble then so will your power to use the force, lest you perverse it with negativity."_

"It seems quite possible, so why would the council forbid it?" Liam questioned.

"_Because then the Jedi would have no purpose. If there is no evil left to fight – if all the evil in the galaxy stems from sentient nature and not from the force itself – then why do the Jedi exist?"_ Loon explained. Liam's body chilled, not from the cold but from the very idea that the Jedi may not have a true purpose at all.

"But… we exist to fight the sith; Right?"

"_And what are Sith?"_

"… Dark…"

"_Jedi."_ Loon finished for him.

_Master, I'm back with the sabers! _Liam heard in his mind.

"Okay Ruro'r. We'll table this for now." Liam said as he stood up from his chair.

* * *

Kiber had his mask on now and he pushed open the sliding doors to the hangar so hard that one bent out of place slightly. He tromped into the hangar and searched around restlessly for the woman he had run into before. _"Is there a Supervisor Sallen here!?"_ asked the Lord of the ship. A dark skinned woman with short black hair ran as fast as she could to ask what her lord's wishes were.

"Junior Supervisor Sallen here to-!" Kiber grabbed a hold of her throat physically and placed his hand to her head; he knew the technique would kill her but he needed to know and he would likely kill her anyways.

"_I'm sorry to say that my Chivalrous tendencies are lost on you. Are you working for the republic!?"_ he screamed at her. A red aura spread around Kiber's hand and the woman screamed out in pain. Her eyes rolled back into her skull and her mouth looked as if she trying to say the word 'NO' but that did not happen.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes-s-s!" with no hesitation, no mercy, no further questions; he snapped her neck with less than a flick of his wrist. Xaffaj was startled by his sudden display of force and grabbed Kiber's shoulder.

"_What in the hell are you doing!?"_ he shouted at him through his helmet. Kiber let the body of the now proven SIS agent fall to the floor of the hangar. Darth Kiber shrugged the hand of his brother off of his shoulder and raised his wrist to his face again.

"_Hamlin! Bring us out of Hyperspace and prepare armaments for battle!"_ he spoke into the wrist mounted monitor.

"_Right away, my Lord!"_ replied the General on the other side of the call. The usual gentle rocking and swaying was replaced by a sudden lurching forward and then back again as the scenery through the translucent hangar bay doors changed into the scenery of starry black space. All of a sudden a fleet of three Republic capital ships arrived opposite Kiber's fleet out of hyperspace followed by four Frigate class ships.

"_Attack before they have the chance to proceed with their plans!"_ he shouted into the communication device on his arm.

"_Of course, Darth Kiber!"_ Hamlin said. Within ten seconds the auto cannons all over their two capital ships were being fired toward the republic ships. Fighters sped out of the numerous hangars in a roar of thunderous speed. _"But why would they attack us while the treaty is still in effect?"_

"_This is Hutt space; they don't care what happens here!"_ he snarled as he made his way back to his own ship. The Fury's crew had already assembled and Lynaree let the entrance ramp down for her lover.

"What's going on!?" she asked as they prepped the ship for take-off.

"_We were attacked after a republic spy gave our location to the enemy. Where is Zajeem!?"_ he asked hurriedly.

"He's safe on the ship."

"_Then let's go."_ Kiber said as he ran to the cockpit and took the helm of his Fury-fighter. The engines hummed violently as he sent his ship flying forward out of the hangar and into the heat of the battle. Kiber put Hamlin on the holo as he put up his shields. Pravus was in the back prepping the torpedoes. The blue visage of General Hamlin appeared beside Kiber.

"_Hamlin I need you to keep my son safe; that is your primary objective!"_

"_Of course I will my lord. Have no fear." _He said with a poor choice of wording.

"_Fear… is an ally to the Sith, General."_

"_Y-Yes my Lord."_ And the holo turned off. Kiber flew toward the enemy ship with a whole legion of starfighters behind him ready to attack. The sounds of battle flew through space and struck every nearby ear with a sense of adrenaline and fear.

"_Lyn! Bring up the schematics of those ships!"_ Darth Kiber commanded to the Twi'lek.

"Sure, one sec." within the next few seconds a map was brought in front of Kiber and he memorized its every detail to the letter.

"_Attention all units!" _Darth Kiber said in a Thunderous voice to all of his troops, _"I want light strikes on their armaments and then I want their engines destroyed; do this in less than two runs or there WILL be consequences!"_ Kiber clutched the lever controlling their speed and rocketed toward the ship that seemed to be in control of their fleet. The whole imperial fleet opened fire on the republics guns as flashes of red and green flew back and forth like colored lightning bolts flashing across space and blotting out the stars. Small fighters were exploding left and right. Kaleen and Xaffaj got on their turrets and began firing wherever they could find something to shoot, _"Lyn! Activate frontward blaster cannons!"_ Lynaree did not need to reply she just entered a password into the console and nodded at Kiber. He pressed the buttons on the controls and the lasers attached to the sides of the cockpit fired, obliterating a small republic fighter in a rain of sparks and yellow flame. The guns on the republic's main ship were almost completely destroyed already and Kiber couldn't help but laugh at how uncoordinated they were on account that they pulled out of hyperspace sooner than anticipated. The Fury went into evasive maneuvers and shot down three more fighters as it made its course through the fighting and underneath the enemy's capital ship. Kiber spotted what appeared to be their Life-support system's cooling system and fired two proton torpedoes at it. He turned the controls to the side and the ship turned abruptly left to avoid the explosion. The life support would melt down now and the whole ship would be without air. Kiber noticed that all of the ship's engines were done as well; his men WERE effective after all. _"I just wish Liam was on that ship…"_ he muttered to himself.

"_Sir." _Interrupted the holographic General Hamlin, _"We are sending infiltration squads to commandeer their ships, would you-!"_

"_Do not send in anyone! Disable all of their systems and leave them stranded; actually… send in two ships to the command ship to accompany me."_ Kiber demanded.

"_You're going in sir?"_

"_Of course; the leader has to get his boots wet first."_ He chuckled softly at his general and flew toward the ship with two transport vessels following him.


	25. When the Force Weeps

The landing gears of the Fury unfolded and planted down onto the white floor of the republic ship's hangar. The scene was one of complete chaos, before Kiber could even leave the ship they were being fired on; luckily their small blaster fire could not leave a scratch on the durasteel plated ship. The two transport vessels sent by Hamlin made their arrival a swift one and the fifty-some soldiers of each ship swarmed out with blaster rifles in hand.

Kiber and Pravus jumped out of the half opened entrance ramp and into the fray. Pravus made sure to leave not even a single republic soldier standing as he cut a swath of magenta light through the torso of one such man. The man did not even have enough time to shriek out in pain. The imperial troopers made sure not to hit their masters because they most certainly did not want to face their wrath; such as was demonstrated before them. The enemy was quickly cut to ribbons by each of Darth Kiber's shining blades and the blasters of both Xaffaj and his wife as they also exited the ship into the hangar. Lynaree burst out with two blasters of her own and dispatched her targets swiftly. Xaffaj took a blaster bolt to the chest but was mostly unaffected by its impact.

Kiber on the other hand was moving gracefully and smoothly through the battle with the help of the force; his greatest ally. He slashed and stabbed to and fro and all around until hardly anyone was left – which was when the republic decided that enough was enough. Troopers with much more impressive arms rushed through the hangar doors and charged the imperial forces. Lynaree ducked and rolled over the battle field until she had met her back with her lover's. The pair ducked around each other and called out targets to one another as the enemy gathered around to try and cut them down. They were having a tough time defeating the sith forces.

Pravus was impressively displaying his brute strength and fighting more than six enemies at once while roaring at them in his traditional Draethos battle cries. The intercom ordered a full retreat back to strategic locations; Kiber hardly understood a word of it. Then they sent in the battle droids. Facing droids was hardly a challenge for the two sith – Droids could never truly think like a person, no matter how advanced their AIs were – and they could never make last minute lifesaving decisions. Their mathematical equations did not help much as the imperial troops ducked behind cover and took aim at their mechanical adversaries. Only twenty imperial troopers laid dead of the hundred and some after the skirmish. Kiber now knew what these men were willing to do to survive and/or save lives: run like cowards. Oh, how the republic had fallen.

The final hangar door was closing and Kiber had to use not even a fraction of his power to hold it open as his troops moved forward with deadly intent burning like fire beneath their visors. They opened fire down the long white and orange hallways that lay before them; devouring the remaining republic troopers in a storm of light and heat. Kiber stepped forward over the remains of the droids and kicked the lost helmet of one of the enemy's troops. Lynaree walked beside him as they made their route to the bridge through the metal-tunnel-like interior of the ship. The Imperial troops followed closely behind their Sith General so as to not dissatisfy him by going off track and putting his life in unneeded danger. Three large blaster bolts flew past the group and left dents in the metal walls of the ship. To the group's right hand side were two blaster turrets on the ceiling and Kiber ducked for cover behind the other side of the hallway's wall. Three Imperial troops were killed by the turrets and another was shot in the leg. Xaffaj shot across the hall to his brother with the use of his jetpack, but threw something down the other hall as he flew past. A 'Ting-ting-ting' sound was heard followed by an explosion of electricity; the turrets were disabled completely.

"_Xaffaj! Take a fourth of these troops and follow this hallway; take one left and there should be a room with a hack-able console."_ Kiber ordered.

"_You got it. Rancor squad, you're on me; let's move!"_ Called the Mandalorian to the squadron of imperial troops who saluted in acknowledgement; Kelann followed after him as well. They stormed off down the corridor and Kiber's troop carried on in another direction. Kiber walked down the metal passageway with heavy feet and two disengaged lightsabers in his hands. Lynaree and Lord Pravus were both on each side of Kiber and they could hear the tromping of the soldiers' feet behind them. As he stepped Kiber could sense more than one presence becoming stronger as he moved forward; one of warning and one of a man powerful in the force. He turned around another corner and saw the man; a Togruta with blue skin and a muscular build in a brown robe. In his right hand he held what appeared to be an extremely long lightsaber hilt; it reached from his neck down to his feet. With the look the alien man gave him Kiber could tell that they had met before.

"Master, let me take care of this pest for you." Offered Pravus as he ignited his magenta lightsaber up at the Jedi. Kiber pushed his apprentice's hand down and stepped forward again.

"_You go on down the other hallway; I shall deal with this nuisance."_

"As you command, my Master." He stepped back and ordered the troops to follow him in the opposite direction. Lynaree hesitated as she stepped away from Kiber's side, but he ultimately shooed her away with a motion of his hand. Now he was alone with the blue Togruta Jedi; what he specialized in was anyone's guess.

"_To whom do I owe my displeasure?"_ he inquired mockingly.

"My name is Danjo and I believe we know each other." Said the man.

"_Oh? And where do we know each other from?"_

"You were in my youngling clan and your late father was our instructor, but no one knew about that, did they?" Kiber tightened his grip on his sabers.

"_It was foolish to face me alone, Jedi."_ He threatened. The Jedi stomped his saber like weapon on the ground twice and from behind two pillars appeared two very capable looking Jedi knights.

"I have a name." he said with a completely serious look on his face. His friends were no different in expression.

"_You don't need a name when you're dead!"_ Kiber snarled. The two human Jedi ignited their blue sabers and charged forward. Kiber held his hand up and pushed through the air; a shockwave was sent rippling through the force that sent the two men sliding backwards past Danjo.

"I'm guessing you won't come quietly?" he offered sarcastically.

"_Bingo."_

"Then forgive me." Danjo stomped his saber on the floor once more and then pressed a button on its side; the orange blade that lit up on top of the stave was shorter than most lightsabers, but that did not make it any less deadly. The two other Jedi got to their feet and ran at Kiber again as he ignited his own sabers. "Take him alive, if possible." Danjo said.

"_There's not even a sliver of a chance of that happening."_ Answered Darth Kiber. Danjo grabbed the pole arm of his saber with both hands and charged forward to lunge at Kiber. He was parried by Kiber who pushed his pole arm to the left and charged forward to take on the two other Jedi first. The two guardians did not expect to be attacked directly so early on in the battle, as was shown by the surprised looks on their faces.

Kiber rushed the two Jedi and attacked with a flurry of both martial arts and sword play, throwing the Jedi off balance completely. The Togruta ran to defend his comrades and Kiber whipped around to meet his blade again. Kiber smirked beneath his mask as he force pushed one of the other Jedi away and engaged the two in battle. The pole arm had reach and strength, but it lacked agility and was easy to avoid even with the Jedi's elite training.

"Damn you, traitor!" screamed out the one guardian that was not on the ground as he swiped down with his blue lightsaber. Kiber pushed his blade up and then dodged to his left; just as Danjo lunged forward again. The orange blade found a place in the Jedi's chest and Danjo was simply stunned; he regained his composure and pulled the pole-saber from his friend.

"I'm sorry…" he said while the incapacitated Jedi fell to the floor and began to convulse slightly as his body gave up on him. Danjo turned to Kiber and stared at him, Kiber never moved an inch since he had dodged. "You sick, twisted, evil, betraying scum…" he snarled.

Kiber laughed, _"I'm not the one who missed am I?"_ suddenly from the side of him he heard the battle cry of the human Jedi he had pushed back earlier charging straight at him. He turned, slashed and caught the Jedi's saber in a lock with his own. Danjo tried to help but was met with the same problem as Kiber struck with his other lightsaber. The three combatants were at a physical stale-mate and no one was willing to make a move. Kiber gathered all of the power he could in his arms and pushed back towards his enemies with all of his strength. The Jedi guardian was sent flying into the pillar and was knocked out cold. Danjo was pushed against the wall but regained himself quickly.

"_This battle is not going the way you expected it to, is it?"_ Kiber mocked as he giggled softly underneath his facial armor. The Togruta pulled another saber out of his belt, a single blade that shone yellow like early sunset.

"Let's end this!" he declared as he ran forward with his pole arm in one hand and his saber in the other; slashing and stabbing back and forth as Kiber dodged mockingly in every which direction. "Stop moving!" screamed the Jedi as his frustration started to get to him. Just like he had asked, Kiber stopped moving, but he grabbed the end of the pole arm as he blocked the other saber with his own and his red saber dropped to the floor. Danjo tried to move the pole-saber, but it would not budge.

"_You Jedi need to realize that the force is only a means to an end; nothing more than a tool and a weapon!"_ Kiber laughed as he sent a current of electricity up the handle of the pole-saber and it made contact with the Togruta. The flashing electricity through the man's body revealed his skeleton in flashes of bright light as the lightning shook him back and forth and he let go of his weapons. Danjo fell to the floor and one could clearly see he was in no place to fight. Kiber took the already ignited pole-saber and pierced the flesh and bone of Danjo's shoulder, pinning him to the wall as the man screamed for help. The alien shuddered to think what would happen next.

"Get… Get it over with… you Murglak!" he was seemingly having trouble breathing. Kiber picked up the yellow saber that belonged to the Jedi, "What are you doing?" Danjo asked worriedly. Kiber plunged the yellow blade into the alien's other shoulder and he let out a shriek of agony that almost split Kiber's ears.

"_I'm going to leave you here, and you can meditate on what makes you Jedi so "Powerful"." _he laughed and returned down the hall through which he entered, leaving the Jedi with his thoughts and his fallen comrades.

Kiber heard Danjo's voice from down the hall, "I never believed that you would have killed Xu Fane!" this caught his attention and he stopped before he could take another step forward, "But now I see how much of a cold-blooded monster you've become!" Kiber was on him in the next moment and grabbed him by the collar. Without pulling the sabers out of his arms Kiber grabbed the Jedi and threw him hard against the other wall. The sabers fell to the floor and he cried out in pain again. Kiber approached him as he began to puke up blood onto the floor.

"_Do not pretend to know what happened that day! I! Will! Gut! YOU!"_

"I wouldn't doubt it… monster…"

_I wouldn't doubt it…_ was what she had said.

_Do not… forget…_

"_AHHHH!"_ screamed Kiber in a rage as he grabbed the Togruta by his head and raised him to his feet. He grabbed him with both hands, even as he struggled. _"This is only a fraction of the pain I felt that day!"_ in the most agonizing five seconds of anyone's life, Kiber unleashed all of his stored up force energy into the Jedi and they both screamed like banshees. By the time it was over and before Kiber had realized what had happened; there were long rivers of blood running from the Togruta's eyes and nose, even his skin began to bruise from the rupturing blood vessels underneath his skin, until he died of course. Kiber dropped the man's body into the pool of blood that had gathered on the floor. Kiber's lower legs were stained crimson and more so were his gauntlets. He stared at his hands in horror; what force technique was that? It seemed as if it was simply and purely torturous, but it also felt as if something had been disconnected from the force entirely. Kiber grabbed both of his sabers that, unknown to him, had fallen onto the floor during his moment of rage. He would meet his allies on the bridge; he just hoped that Lynaree was okay.

* * *

"Good, good! You are natural at this Rue!" Liam said as he sparred with his apprentice.

"_Rue?"_ questioned Loon who was sitting across the room in a not so comfy looking metal chair. Liam put his training saber down and turned.

"It's easier to say than Ruro'r."

"_Good point…"_ Loon replied. A wave of dark energy overtook the Miraluka and he fell to his knees. His breathing became rapid and he felt as if a link to the force in his own mind had been severed; the pain was that intense. He writhed on the cold floor and tried not to cry out in pain, but it was hard to say the least. Down the hall loon could hear Yowsa screaming a blood-curdling shriek that would not stop.

In his mind Liam could hear the voice of his Padawan, _Master! Master what's wrong!?_ But everything seemed to be fading; he had not prepared for a shock in the force that was this intense, he was too lax at the time and now it was too late. Darkness overwhelmed him and he fell unconscious.

The other force sensitives in the base felt it as well although to a much lesser extent; the extremely sensitive mind of a Miraluka could not take such an unexpected and powerful feeling. Was this what it felt like to experience the beginning of the opening of a wound in the force? How many people had died to create such a powerful feeling Liam wondered. It felt familiar… like someone he knew once. He only hoped that such suffering was done with. Now it was time for him to sleep…

* * *

The feeling Kiber had was similar to when he had set the ship to self-destruct with his old master still on board; like a hole inside of him had been filled, but like another had been opened. It fed him like he had never tasted sustenance in his entire life. The feeling of bringing death was addicting, but his last kill was unique. It was more than his full power and it felt like he had ripped something open; something in the force. As long as it did not affect his own power he did not care what became of the fabric of the force. He walked down the hall and five republic soldiers appeared around the corner with weapons drawn.

Before any of them could say "freeze" their guns flew out of their hands and behind Kiber. Then before they could object, Kiber held his hands up and sent thousands of lightning tendrils striking at his foes. The corpses of the men burst into ashes and Kiber could not understand what had just happened. What was going on with his powers?

His vision began to blur and everything turned red in a flash of light; it felt like time had stopped around him. A man- a Sith Lord – appeared out of thin air wearing a mask that looked like a skull without a jaw and with two red marks on it. He approached Kiber with his hand outstretched and whispering something in a language that was completely inaudible to Kiber. This man had no presence, no substance, and no corporeal form, like he was missing from the galaxy. The whispering became louder until the dark Lord was almost close enough to touch Kiber's head; and then he disappeared.

A voice echoed in his head, that of an old woman, _what do you wish to hear? That I once believed in the code of the Jedi? That I felt the call of the Sith, that perhaps, once, I held the galaxy by its throat? That for every good work that I did, I brought equal harm upon the galaxy? That perhaps what the greatest of the Sith Lords knew of evil, they learned from me?_ And then she too was gone.

His vision returned to normal and he tried to breath, but it was putting a strain on his panicked lungs. Before his force-induced trip was over he heard one last voice, like a warning from an old man, _I have heard tales of Malachor. It is said that many of my people felt the end of the Mandalorian Wars from across the galaxy._ And then his control on his own body was returned to normal. What was he becoming? Had he absorbed the man's very essence? No, that could not be possible – no one could absorb the actual "Soul" of a force-user, could they?

"_What is happening?" _He spoke to himself. He had to get to the bridge, needed to finish this before he collapsed.

* * *

"What happened?" asked Liam as he sat back up in his bed in the medical bay. Yowsa was still unconscious in the bed beside him.

"There was a violent disturbance in the force and you two fell unconscious." Explained Jorek as he held Liam's hand. Liam pulled away with surprising speed and sat up even more.

"We need to contact the Jedi council!"

"_We already did…"_ said a worried sounding Jar Loon, _"But they said they suffered no such disturbance."_


	26. One Man's Vengance

Kiber's hallucinations persisted as he proceeded down the halls to reunite with his own forces and a trail of ash and corpses was lain out behind him – his victims. Voices of the past reached out through the force and entered his mind undeniably as he tried to carry on to the bridge of the republic vessel. His physical form was weakening and he did not know how long he could continue with the pain in his mind before he would have to rest. His head felt like it was vibrating like a starship engine.

Another voice came, the same one as before, the old woman. She was standing in front of him now and she had brown robes with a hood that concealed her eyes. She began to speak like she had before – it sounded very ghostly. _What do you wish to hear? That I once believed in the code of the Jedi? _ Suddenly her robes began to turn black as they changed from her feet and began to change color up to her waist as it continued spreading. _That I felt the call of the Sith, that perhaps, once, I held the galaxy by its throat?_ Her entire set of robes were now black and she began to put her hood back; her eyes were closed._ That for every good work that I did, I brought equal harm upon the galaxy? That perhaps what the greatest of the Sith Lords knew of evil, they learned from me?_ She opened her pale white eyes and a flash of bright light blinded Kiber. He flinched back but opened his eyes, revealing what looked like a planet in front of him. One name kept repeating in his head, _Malachor, Malachor, Malachor_. And then the force seemed to take him even further back. A kind looking Jedi man with a rough beard and brown robes was engulfed in flames and from the flames was born the sith that the galaxy feared as Darth Revan. An image of Ulic Quel-Droma kneeling down at the corpse of his brother as tears flowed from his yellow eyes and republic troops surrounded him with Nomi Sun-Rider hovered over him after having just taken away his powers.

The force even went as far back as the hundred year darkness, as if to ward him off of this path. The suffering of the entire galaxy was laid out before him and he felt their pain, but he also was reminded of the utter chaos of it all. If he had to go through all of this suffering to have his perfect galaxy finally realized, then so be it. As if the force was TRULY a living, thinking, feeling sentient mind it decided that only one choice was left to try and turn him back. He was shown the future; a dark future of death, the death of the Jedi and the sith, and how the galaxy descended into a sorry state of being controlled in large part by the Hutts, but mostly by a new empire, one that could hardly control its own people let alone the entire galaxy. A long line of Sith Lords – all preceding one another – was stretched out before his eyes and he saw the pattern in the madness of their methods. The master would be betrayed by the student and that student would become the master of another, their own student would then betray them and thus a cycle was created. A cycle of never ending Chaos. Kiber collapsed to the floor as his mind was nearly tearing itself apart.

He took off his mask and breathed in heavy as he attached it to his belt; it was very sweaty. "I refuse to… believe it." He stuttered as he rose back to his feet and continued to the bridge. "I will succeed – I will have my empire." His chest was heavy but his resolve was unshakable now more than ever; the perhaps living entity of the force had failed. Kiber would not allow himself to be betrayed again, he would stop this future from coming to fruition.

Oddly enough, even with his physical weakness as a result of his pained thoughts; he still felt more powerful than ever. Whatever physical strain had been put on him was heavy, but it was wearing away gradually. His control of the force however had never been this powerful before now. From around the corner of two more intersecting hallways came two more heavy battle droids and they raised their blaster cannon arms as soon as they sensed the Darth.

"Come and get me you pieces of scrap!" snarled Kiber as he held his hands up again.

* * *

"What do you mean they felt NOTHING!?" screamed Liam angrily; he was having a hard time controlling his emotions after such a dramatic amount of pain. Loon slouched down into a nearby chair and rubbed his pained forehead.

"_Everyone here felt it; even some of the troopers felt it – there is no way that the council did not feel that, but it's true."_ Liam hoped for once that the council was lying, but that would never happen, not like this.

_My head hurts…_ complained Ruro'r to Liam's right as Liam attempted to get out of his bed. His legs were wobbly but he could move so he walked over to his robes hung up on wall and tried to put them on. Jorek came into the room and grabbed Liam by his arm.

"You are not going anywhere, do you hear me?" he said as Liam dropped his robes on the ground.

"Yeah… yeah okay…" he walked back to the bed and lied down again. "I just don't like doing… nothing." He slouched forward in the bed and exhaled.

"What in the force happened?" asked Jorek hypothetically, "What was it that we felt?"

"_I don't know, but it was painful; like a break in the force."_

"It couldn't be a wound in the force, could it?" asked Liam "How many people would have to die for that to happen?"

"_It was not a "Wound" in the force, but something did indeed "Snap"."_ Loon explained.

"I don't like this…" groaned Jorek, "But we can't do anything, so just forget about it and hope it doesn't happen again."

"And what if it does, Jor?" asked Liam, "What if this is serious!?"

"There's no doubt that it's serious, but our hands are tied." Jorek replied. Liam rubbed his chin in frustration.

"Fine, but if it happens again; I don't care what the Jedi council says."

* * *

Kiber finally arrived at the scene of a battle being waged through the hallways of the ship. His troops, as well as Lynaree and Lord Pravus, were locked in combat with numerous republic troopers; they were no match for Kiber's elite. Darth Kiber mustered all of his strength and ran forward into the skirmish between the two sides. Pravus hardly noticed as his master leapt past and placed his blade in the abdomen of one republic soldier. As more troopers flooded forward to defend their ship Kiber realized he would have to take cover to gather his strength or he would surely not last against their relentless onslaught.

Kiber jumped over a few crates that the troops had set up for cover and landed beside the commander of one of his squads. He spoke through his helmet, _"My Lord Kiber, Sir! We're making progress, but there's one thing I don't understand!"_

"What is that!?" he screamed back over the humming in his ears.

"_These 'Pubs are breaking the treaty! Is this a declaration of war!?"_

"No one in the empire knows we're here, the attack was strategic in that if they win, the empire won't be any wiser!"

"_Then we have to win, sir!"_ Kiber looked at him with his yellow eyes.

"Do your duty; we're winning this!" Kiber turned to the side just as a thermal detonator went off. "Who in the HELL sets off explosives in a ship!?" he screamed hypothetically.

He held his wrist up to his mouth and called to his General, "Hamlin, are our comms jammed!?" he shouted.

"_Yes sir, but… how did you know?"_

"Lucky guess…" he looked around and realized how this could ruin his plans; plans he had hidden from everyone. "Destroy the two other ships and then wait for me to destroy this one! Leave no evidence of the republic's involvement here!" Hamlin looked genuinely shocked.

"_I would like you to explain your reasoning, my lord."_

"Just do it! There will be time for explanations later!" he hung up and turned back to the battle with his hands raised in the air. "Get down!" he commanded to his troops. Everyone, even Lord Pravus, dropped down to the floor and watched as branches of blue electricity like a giant lightning storm struck out overhead and the enemy soldiers began to violently convulse as they fell to the ground or were thrown against the walls, leaving hard indents in the steel surfaces. Some even burst into ashes with only their clothes remaining. Droids exploded left and right and Kiber considered himself lucky that they were so deep in the ship, or they would have blasted a hole straight into space.

The soldiers all got to their feet and stared in awe at the scene lain out before them. Some of the soldiers even took their helmets off and let their jaws hang open in amazement; in terror. They all turned to face Darth Kiber, but not a single one spoke. Pravus decided it was time he said something.

"What… was that?" he asked. Kiber looked at his troops and could see that they all feared his power; even Lynaree.

"That was power in its purest form; let's go." He stepped over the bodies of the fallen and continued down the steel corridors, his men followed without hesitation.

* * *

The black hooded man continued to sip down his hard drink in the shadowy lighting of the bar; he had been coming here for a few days now and the place felt relaxing to him. For him it was hard to find a place on Coruscant away from the prying eyes of the Jedi and their strict code of honor. In the lower slums of the planet like this it was easy; no Jedi ever set foot down here. Unfortunately every time he entered this bar he would get strange looks from the patrons here. Today was no exception.

The bartender came out from behind his counter and approached the dark robed man. "Hey." He said as he put his hands on the table, even though the man did not look back up at him he still spoke.

"Yes?"

The man went to a hushed whisper and leaned in close; Mr. Kentari figured he could look up now, "Those thugs over there are giving you weird looks." He motioned behind himself to a group of Weequay grunts that looked half-drunk already. "I've seen that look before; I thought I should warn you so you could maybe… take it outside?"

The hooded man turned his head slightly to the side and looked at the thugs; they looked back with the same disrespect.

"It's not much of a warning…" he moved part of his robes to the side and revealed his double-bladed lightsaber, "When I was already aware, but thank you." He got out of his seat and loomed towards the men that mocked him with their smirks. He hovered over their table and the three aliens looked like they were going to burst out laughing.

They spoke in their own alien language, "What do you want, puny human." The Weequay in the center brushed his braided hair back.

The dark robed human raised his hand and the men began to laugh, "What are you going to do with that!?" laughed the Weequay on his left. Mr. Kentari snapped his fingers and the Weequay in the middle of the table went still and his friends slowly stopped laughing. One shook the frozen one's shoulder. The frozen Weequay fell forward and hit his head on the table; knocking over the drinks that sat there. The two other aliens looked startled and tried to help the fallen one up, but he was frozen stiff as a board.

"That should wear off in an hour or so…" he walked over to the counter and placed a credit chip in front of the bar tender.

"Where are you going!?" screamed one of the Weequay brutes as he ran at the man with his fists ready to strike. Mr. Kentari moved to the side in a flash of darkness and took out his saber. He ignited the shining crimson blade and struck to his side at the alien's arm. The Weequay's arm fell to the floor and he cried out in pain.

"That should pay for damage costs as well." Said the man as he disengaged his lightsaber and left the bar through the front door. He walked off down the holo-ad lit streets of the city planet and disappeared into the darkness of the night. He would be finding a different bar tomorrow evening.

* * *

"Xaffaj, have you made any progress?" asked Kiber to his wrist monitor as they walked down the halls.

"_We've found the room and Kelann is hacking the console now, shouldn't be too much longer, Dar'jetii Vod."_

"Quit speaking _Mando'a_, and make some sense." Kiber said angrily. He did not overly enjoy his brother's fanaticism with his culture.

"… _Or'dinii…" _Xaffaj mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Kiber. Xaffaj did not reply; he just hung up instead. Darth Kiber let his arms fall to his sides and continued down the hallway.

Lynaree came up beside him and grabbed his arm, "What was that earlier? For real this time." She asked.

"I'm not entirely sure, but it feels like I have enough power to destroy this whole fleet right now."

"I'm not sure that's healthy." Lynaree replied jokingly. Kiber smiled but held back his emotions; now was not the time for fun and games.

"It's certainly not healthy for anyone who gets in my way; that much I know." Kiber said. Lynaree giggled a bit, but she found the joke a bit morbid for her tastes. They stepped left and right down the long stretching hallway until they reached a door; it was strange that they had not run into any more enemy troops along the way however. The door was big and sturdy; Kiber was not sure if he could even open it.

"I'll try to pry this open, but I'm not sure…" suddenly the door opened as its parts slid in all different directions.

Kiber could hear the voice of Kelann from his wrist, _"You're welcome."_ She said. The door slid apart to reveal a room filled to the brim with republic troops; versus the sixty-some imperials. Everyone drew their blasters and stared intensely at their enemies. You could hear everyone breathe, almost in unison while they all tried not to itch their trigger fingers.

"How is this going to play out?" asked Kiber, hoping that whoever was in charge would answer back. A young man with brown hair and green eyes stepped forward and put his hands behind his back.

"We now realize that this was a bad plan of action and we wish to negotiate our terms of surrender-!"

"Who sent you!?" Kiber screamed before the man was done. He looked surprised but retained his composure.

"I was sent by republic command."

"NO! You imbecile! Who tipped you off that I would be here?" Kiber thought back to the supervisor on his ship and realized something else was wrong.

"We… we had an agent on your ship."

"No, she was planted there by whoever REALLY tipped you off; an idiot wouldn't send an agent to directly infiltrate such a tight crew on such short notice!" once again the man looked surprised and Kiber noticed a bead of sweat running down the side of the man's face. He was had.

"I-I-I… I wasn't told who tipped us off. Please, we'll surrender peacefully if you just-!"

"You cannot be allowed to leave; we cannot reignite the flames of war yet, but neither can I let you return and tell of how you get a free pass for failing to kill a sith!" he ignited both of his sabers and prepared for battle. Suddenly a voice came booming over the loud-speakers.

It was Kelann, _"Attention Republic Besom'e! I now have control of your turrets; there are four in total on your bridge and I will tear you to bits if you even breathe wrong!"_ the republic soldiers began to look around and noticed that their turrets were indeed targeting them now.

"You heard the lady, now drop your weapons!" commanded Darth Kiber. The soldiers did as they were asked and slowly lowered their blaster rifles to the ground. Kiber raised his wrist one again.

"Hamlin, what are the damages so far?"

"_We've had damage to a few of the systems on both dreadnaughts, sir, and have lost one frigate. Otherwise we are in much better shape than them – I commend you for jumping out of hyperspace when you did, my Lord!"_ he sounded genuinely impressed.

There was an explosion and Kiber looked up at the window looking out into space – one of the three Republic capital ships had been obliterated. Another explosion vibrated the ship not ten seconds after and it was apparent that the other ship had been destroyed as well.

"Hamlin; send in a few ships to the final Capital-vessel and have your men take these 'Pub dogs prisoner." Demanded Kiber. In a few minutes the ship was swarming with imperials and Kiber's forces were searching high and low for hints of who their informant might have been. Kiber stood at the front of the bridge with both hands behind his back and his hood down – it was over for now.

Lynaree stepped forward and up to where he stood in front of the forward facing windows of the ship's bridge. They stood silent for a time, but eventually she spoke, "Who needs you done-in so bad that they would send a whole fleet after you in violation of a galaxy-wide peace treaty?"

Kiber continued his silence for a bit, but he answered after calm consideration, "I… I don't know…" was all he could come up with.


	27. Cold Steel in the Hot sands

"What is your name?" Kiber said calmly as he circled his victim strapped into the interrogation chair. The general of the republic fleet that was sent after him struggled to get out of his bindings. Regardless of the current disposition between the two opposing idealists, the general retained his cool. Even if he looked completely calm on the outside; Kiber could still sense his fear screaming through the exterior. The general did not face his interrogator when he spoke.

"Rogers… that's my first name and that's all you're going to get out of me." He turned his head to the side opposite of the Sith and listened as Darth Kiber breathed down the man's neck.

"Well – Rogers – I need you to tell me a few things…" Kiber let the words linger as the man flinched away from his breathe.

"You smell like spoiled Bantha meat, Sith!"

"Ah, well that was a pleasant thought." He walked around to the back of the chair, "Now… What is the name of the person that gave you my whereabouts?"

"You're not getting anything – Anything – out of me." He snarled back. Kiber laughed softly and grabbed Rogers' shoulder.

"I'll let you decide…" he said, "Would you like me to go and get the interrogation droid, or would you rather I do my own handiwork?"

"Heh, like you could break me by yourself!" he mocked. Kiber rubbed his chin and smiled.

"I'll take that as a challenge and try my luck without the droid." Now Kiber grabbed his shoulder harder, and his captive winced as he continued putting pressure down on him. Electricity was sent racing through the general's body for only a second before he was shaking in his seat. Kiber let go of his shoulder and stepped back; steam rose from his victim.

"You'll… h-h-have to do better than th-th-that…"

"I'm sure I won't disappoint you…" Kiber said smiling as he juggled a bolt of electricity in between his hands.

* * *

"Have you been keeping up with your studies?" asked Liam to his Padawan.

_Of course I have, Master Liam. _Clouds of white puffed out of the Ghorfa's mask as he breathed the cold air. Liam noticed a few books beside the seat Ruro'r was sitting in – they were in the main sanctum of the makeshift republic base. _Master Jorek and Master Loon have been helping me as well._

Liam smiled, "Well it's good to hear that I am not the only one interested in your training." He sat down beside his apprentice. "Have you thought about making your own Lightsaber before?"

_Only every day!_

"Well, on your fourteenth birthday – if you are mature enough – I'll take you to Dantooine and we can explore the caves. How does that sound?"

_But Master, that's such a long time away…_

"Patience is a useful attribute; perhaps this will temper your ability to endure." He pointed at his Padawan and Ruro'r nodded back.

_I understand._

"Good; I myself was fourteen when I made my first lightsaber – for the record it was remarkably faulty for the first few days." Both Liam and Ruro'r began to laugh.

_I never thought that you could ever make a defective lightsaber._ He said to his master – the arrogance of the young was a beautiful thing to Liam, it reminded him that sometimes adults took life a bit too seriously.

"Heh, no one is perfect, my young apprentice."

* * *

Later that day, Liam met with Jorek and Jar Loon to discuss the disturbance that had been felt earlier that day. The three of them crossed their legs and sat down on the cold stone floor in a dimly lit room that was lit by only two wall sconces with flickering torches resting in them. They looked at one another, waiting for someone to say something. Liam decided to speak first.

"Is Yowsa doing alright?" he asked.

"_She is doing fine. She is resting right now and I decided it best not to disturb her for this meeting."_ Jar Loon answered.

"On a related note," said Jorek, "Where is Nakari?"

"She is with the baby, besides it isn't as if she needs to be here." Liam pointed out. Jorek shrugged and then looked to Jar Loon.

"Why are we here exactly?"

"_We all felt it of course, the disturbance in the force. But that was not any kind of disturbance that I had felt before."_

"I have," interrupted Liam, "back when my brother betrayed us, it felt like the force was trying to tell me something."

"_Exactly, it felt like a warning more so than a tremor. Plus no Jedi on any other planet felt it."_

Jorek interrupted now, "Perhaps it was on Rhen Var and that's why no one else felt it."

"No," answered Liam, "it definitely felt like it was coming from somewhere else."

"Well then where?"

"_It's not as if we could tell exactly where. Probably somewhere in Hutt space from what I felt of it."_ Loon decided. Liam agreed that he was correct but simply nodded as a show of agreement.

"It felt like… like it was not on a planet at all…" Liam muttered, half to himself.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jorek asked.

"They were in space probably, near… Hutta, I think?"

Jorek looked at him with strange eyes, "How in the force would you know that?" Jorek asked Liam.

"I… I don't know…" he stuttered back.

"_How is it possible that YOU could feel exactly where, but not us?"_ Loon wondered aloud.

"I… I just don't know; maybe the force has bigger plans for me." He said with arms outstretched.

"Careful, Liam. Keep your mind in the present."

"Maybe I decide to keep my thoughts in the future, so I can save our sorry hides every time the Mynock hits the Windshield!" Liam was astounded to hear himself so angry. He now realized that he was also standing; but when did he even find the time to stand up? He sat back down and breathed through his hands supporting his head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, things here are stressful. Just… try to control your emotions." Jorek replied with a slight smile.

"_You were always quick to jump, Liam."_ It was funny for Liam to hear him say that, because it was true.

* * *

"Really? Nothing you want to say yet?" mocked the sith lord to his hapless victim. Rogers could hear his own breathing; like a raspy leaking pipe vibrating under pressure.

"I… I am… not… telling you… a … Karking… thing!" his head fell back in the chair as he began to lose consciousness. Kiber swore and walked out of the room, switching off the light as he left. Lynaree was waiting outside talking to Xaffaj; Kiber felt like he should be somewhat jealous – being a man – but knew that Xaffaj was a faithful husband to his Mandalorian wife. Kiber approached the conversing twosome and leaned in on Lynaree.

"How are things?" he asked in her ear. Lynaree smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Good, we were just talking about this Holonet article; some report about a tribe of sand people led by a Jedi."

Xaffaj leaned forward slightly, "It's true; here, look." He passed a Holonet data pad to his brother. Kiber took it and read

_In an unheard of twist of nature itself; an outsider to a tribe of sand people has become their Chieftain. No one is sure how it came to be but one thing was for certain in all of the reports filed by witnesses: He was using a silver lightsaber and the force to cut down his enemies. Below is an image taken of this marauder and more information will come when available._

Kiber looked at the picture and nearly lost all feeling in his body; not only was the raider carrying a lightsaber, but he was wearing Jedi-like robes and most surprising of all: the mask he wore had no eyes. Aside from the obvious visual hints, Kiber knew it could only be one person.

"I'm going to Tatooine."

"What!? Why?" exclaimed Xaffaj.

"Because that man in the picture is our brother!"

Lynaree looked more than confused, "What? Why would your brother join a tribe of sand people?" she asked.

"He was always the charismatic type. There is no doubt in my mind that he could have gotten into their tribe."

"That doesn't answer why." She said again. Kiber ignored her and started down the hallway to the hangar.

"I'm going to Tatooine and no one better follow me!"

Within the next ten minutes he was off in Hyperspace on a lane to the sand planet in his fury; but with a single unexpected stowaway in the cargo bay.

"I want to meet this brother of yours…" Lynaree whispered to herself.

* * *

The man in his dark robes sat on the patch work lounge chair of his rented apartment, looking at a Holonet report. A report about a Sand people chieftain with a saber. He smiled beneath his cloak and slowly got out of his chair. He stretched and walked to his door, throwing a credit chip and his data pad on the nearby couch as he left. He had a relieved smirk upon his face the whole way to the spaceport. "I've found him, Pohn…" he whispered to himself. "You needn't suffer any longer…"

* * *

Kiber touched down on the sands of the thousand grains as dust and sand kicked up around his engines. He stepped down and took out his data pad. "So the tribe lives west of Anchorhead, in a rock face…" he looked North-West and – beheld to his eyes – was a plateau of sorts with walls built around it, sand people walls. The village was only a mile or so away by the looks of it; he could easily walk there and back. He just hoped his brother was still there. He started to walk forward, but hit something metal with his boot; the head of a droid. "What in the…" he wondered at the metallic cranium sticking up from the sand. He used his hands to try and dig it out, but to no avail – so he used the force instead. The droid body rose out of the ground and Kiber noticed that its blue-grey paint had been hardly tarnished. It must have been recently abandoned. He placed it down and looked with curiosity at its chassis; it appeared to be an assassin droid of some kind.

He reached around its oddly shaped "Head" and found a loose wire behind a flimsy back panel. He reconnected it and the droid's white eyes flickered to life; they were angrily shaped eyes.

"_Rebooting – Accessing memory functions: unavailable – Accessing Assassination Protocol: available – Accessing Protocol Droid Functionality: available – Accessing Data Bank Files: available – Memory = unavailable; performing introductions."_ It said.

"Huh?"

"_Greetings, new master! I am Hunter-Killer unit fifty-five – Experimental unit prototype of the latest in Assassination, security and protocol droid functionality. You may call me HK-55!" _Suddenly, it seemed as if the droid gained back its self-awareness after some kind of malfunction, _"Realization: Oh Dear, it seems that my memory has been deleted; except for the last few hours before I was shut off; how bothersome. Please give me a moment while I go over these last remaining files of memory data,"_ the droid shut down for a mere moment before flickering back to life. _"It seems that some local Jawas thought it would be a good idea to capture me and sell me, but that was over a year ago! What pitiful creatures…"_

"Wait, did you call me… Master?"

"_Answer: Of course, Master! I am programmed for simplistic user interface; therefore when I am rebooted the first person I see will be registered as my master unless told otherwise by said master."_

"I see…" Kiber was confused to say the least, but after thinking for a moment he realized that he could use this to his advantage. His own personal Assassin AND Protocol droid and all in one package to boot. "You said you were a Prototype?"

"_Answer: Yes, Master. When a ship full of my predecessors crash landed on Belsavis, my designs were scrapped, but a few people in Imperial R&D decided to continue with building more prototypes; I am a fruit of their labour."_

"W-Why do you talk like that?"

"_Inquiry: Like what, Master?"_

"Uh… Never mind. Just call me Kiber for now, okay?" he told his new droid.

"_Agreement: Of course, Mas- I mean, Kiber."_ He got to his feet and pulled a large blaster rifle off of his back panel; which startled Kiber slightly. _"Do not fear master; I will only terminate those who you wish deleted from this plain of existence."_ Kiber was slightly startled to hear that as well.

"Well um…" Kiber had never been in a situation much like this before, "I suppose you should follow me; I'm on a mission and I might as well brief you on the way there."

"_Request: Master! Before we leave, I must ask you what your full name is so I can register you in my Databanks."_

Kiber turned and looked at his new droid before answering, "My Full name is Kiber; I have no known last name. To others I am known as Darth Kiber." The droid looked up speedily.

"_Inquiry: My databanks say that one with the title of Darth is synonymous with a high ranking Sith; are you a Sith, Master?"_

Kiber nodded his head.

"_Relief: Oh, what wonderful news! I am back where my programing destined me to be: in the hands of the empire!"_ he appeared – at least from his voice – happy.

"Listen; I have a lot to do, so follow me and do as I say HK!" he demanded. It was fun being so demanding to someone when you knew they could not do anything against you.

* * *

Liam's head hit the floor as he fell violently forward during what was supposed to be a time of meditation for him and Ruro'r. Pain raced through his mind similar to how it was a few days ago, but it felt more… personal. It felt as if people that he once knew were being physically torn from his mind; he heard familiar screams as the force cried out to him for help. Ruro'r went to help his master up but Liam pushed him gently away as he spoke. "Tell Lymathe… to prepare his ship."

* * *

"_Inquiry: How long will we be waiting here for this "Liam", Master?"_ asked HK to his new sith master. Kiber slowed his breathing as he kneeled in meditation in the middle of the sand raider encampment; the one Liam was so attached to. He was surrounded by the bodies of the Ghorfa; the men, the women even the… children. He reached for his mask but realized he had left it on the ship; he would be getting sand in his face after all.

"I don't know, not long I hope. However, if he takes a while I can use the force to preserve the nutrients in my body; to feed myself as it were."

"_Observation: I must admit that that is very impressive for an organic such as you master."_

"I'm an impressive man, HK…"


	28. Another Man's Suffering

"We're coming out of Hyperspace now. You're gonna owe me for putting my hyperdrive through that kind of punishment – Rhen Var to Tatooine in eleven hours, Humph, that has to be a new record." Lymathe remarked to his Jedi brother.

"I don't care about records right now! People are dying right now!" Liam exclaimed.

"You didn't tell me why we came here, you know?"

"Because our tribe is in great pain; from what I felt… I'm not sure if anyone made it." Liam held his head in pain. Lymathe looked greatly worried now as well.

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! You should have told me this earlier so I could have brought this baby to the brink of overheating!" Lymathe exclaimed back. The fact that someone else cared was comforting to Liam in a way. They came out of the tunnel of hyperspace and rocketed down toward Tatooine; en route to their old settlement.

"Lymathe, I'll need you to stay with the ship, and park a little ways away from the settlement this time." Liam said.

"If you're sure…"

"I am."

* * *

The suns were beginning to set over the horizon. Darth Kiber awoke from his meditation to the sound of an engine. He opened his eyes and tapped on the leg of his new droid companion. "They're here HK, wake up." The droid's head, which was down originally, shot up as his eyes lit up with white light.

"_Excited Inquiry: Oh, do I get to kill someone now, Master!?"_

"Not today, just watch unless I ask for help. And stop calling me master."

"_Submission: If you say so, Master… oh, sorry, Kiber."_ The assassin droid walked off to the side of a building and watched his master in the center of the village. Kiber heard the sounds of curtains being pushed aside coming from the stone face; there must have been a back entrance. He continued kneeling, even as Liam walked in and the color drained from his face.

Liam could not believe his own eyes as he looked down at the body of a sand person child and then looked back up at his brother; Liam never thought Kiber was capable of this. He also never thought that he would ever see himself get this visibly angry. Pieces of his humanity began to die with each snuffed out life he saw the vessel of. Kiber just kneeled there; mocking him with his devilish grin. Liam slowly pieced himself back together as best as he could while he stepped down onto the sand to face his brother. Hopefully this would be the last time. Hopefully he would win.

As he spoke, Kiber noticed that Liam's hands were shaking with rage, "Was… was it worth the trouble?" Liam murmured as he bit his lip down.

Kiber sighed and shook his head as he began to stand up, "Don't pretend like they were people; no one liked them; no one wanted them; and they preyed upon those more worthy than themselves. They are animals." Liam clenched his fists even harder.

"How can you say that!?" he sneered at his brother between his teeth, "They were capable of so much! I taught them to appreciate life, that's something you cannot teach an animal."

"Oooh! Look at the mighty Tribesman; he thinks he's so impressive because he – Slightly – educated some tribals." Kiber laughed a bit and shook his head before throwing his hands in the air in frustration, "I have DESTROYED a hundred times this number of actual people in a fraction of the time! And you have the nerve to be proud of yourself for YOUR display!?" Liam ignited his silver lightsaber.

"It is much easier to destroy, than to create." Liam said as he tried to calm his nerves. The force was on his side, that's what he reminded himself constantly. Kiber ignited his own silver blade and placed it at his side.

"Easy is more fun." Kiber giggled childishly as he stepped over the body of the old chieftain's son to get closer to Liam. Liam stepped closer as well and noticed the droid at the side; he would keep an eye on it.

The two brothers were mere feet away from one another as their sabers hummed in the soft Tatooine winds and their robes gusted in the breeze. Liam could see the malevolence in his brother's eyes; perhaps he had fallen too far to be saved after all. They both raised their blades and waited for someone to make the move. Before either one could strike however, they heard a voice.

"Ah, my enemy, and the enemy of said enemy… what a joyous occasion." Said the black robed man as he sat atop a hut with his legs hanging off the side. Both brothers backed away from one another and stared at the man. "I just knew you would be here, Kiber…" he said.

"Who are you!?" demanded Darth Kiber.

"My name may not be all that familiar to you, Kiber. After all, you were never much interested in Pohn's personal life."

Liam was curious also, "What do you mean by that?" he asked.

The man put his hood back to reveal his face; paler than Kiber's even. His eyes burned a Yellow-Orange color like that of a dark-sider and his dark red-brown hair was braided on one side in a single braid. He swept his slick short hair back with a single run through with his hand.

"My name is Urthalias, brother to Pohn Kentari, and soon to be your killer, Kiber."

"Urthalias!?" exclaimed Liam as he disengaged his saber and stepped toward the rouge-Jedi, "Where have you been? It's been four years!"

"I've been looking for your brother, Liam; looking for Kiber!"

"_Hopeful Inquiry: Can I vaporize these Organics NOW, Master Kiber?"_ HK asked from the side lines.

"No, this is too interesting to end it so early." Kiber replied.

"Urthalias! Stop this, please! Revenge is too dark a path for even the most resilient of Jedi!" Liam pleaded to his old acquaintance.

Urthalias giggled softly and jumped off of his perch, landing perfectly on his feet, gracefully. "Jedi?" he giggled, "I am no longer a Jedi; don't get me wrong, I want the Republic to win this war, but right now I simply want the power to defeat him." He pointed menacingly at Kiber, but the sith seemed generally unthreatened.

"Why didn't you just help me find him so we could defeat him together!?" Liam wondered aloud.

"Because, I don't want to just defeat him – I want to KILL him!" he snarled as he ignited his red double-bladed lightsaber and looked up at the sky as twilight rose and the suns disappeared over the horizon.

"You are obsessed…" laughed Kiber. This did not help Urthalias' mood in the slightest. "Why do you even try? You're going to lose, you know."

Liam stood in the sands wondering how long it would take before Urthalias finally snapped at Kiber and his insistent mockery. Urthalias tightened his grip on his saber and began to walk toward Kiber. "The time for talk is over!" he screamed as he disappeared into the air.

Liam reignited both of his swords as well, ready for the fight. Kiber did not move, instead he waited for his attacker to make the first move. From behind Kiber, out of a cloud of shadowy smoke appeared the ex-Jedi with his blade raised above his head, ready to strike Kiber down. Kiber turned calmly around and hit the blade with the palm of his hand as it came down at him. Liam watched in confusion as Kiber pushed his enemy's blade back with hardly any effort; he had learned how to repel energy with the force in such a short amount of time. Urthalias smiled a toothy grin, sinisterly.

"You would like us to believe you have been practicing, but I truly know HOW you became so powerful so quickly." Urthalias said. Kiber ignited both of his blades now as well; if he knew how Kiber became so dominant when even Kiber didn't know, then he was a threat.

"What are you talking about?" Kiber asked, still remaining calm. Urthalias spun his weapon around in his right hand and then disengaged it.

"You killed someone, when they made you extremely angry – correct?" he said mockingly, he already knew the answer. Kiber hesitated, but something inside of himself forced him to nod back. "You broke through a veil in the force. You began to hallucinate, true?"

"Yes… how do you-!"

"And your body fell weak for a few minutes following, right?"

"SHUT UP! How do you know this!?" screamed Kiber, "What do you mean a "Veil" in the force?"

Urthalias turned his saber back on and prepared himself, "I have no need to explain it to a dead man. Just know that I have walked a similar path." He ran at Kiber again and their blades collided in a flash of sparks that illuminated the now dusky sand. They struck at each other back and forth until they heard a voice beside them.

"You will not steal my victory or my brother!" shouted Liam as he sprinted toward the duel and placed both of his blades in the middle of theirs. The five blades locked together and the sounds of screeching and humming echoed in their ears. They pushed back as they released each other from the lock, but went back at each other within the second; ready to attack, ready to win. Kiber was having a hard time deciding who to focus on, and he tried his best to deflect both of his adversaries' attacks, but they were skilled. Liam was striking both left and right at Kiber and Urthalias when a shockwave rippled in front of his vision and hit Kiber, severely. He flew back and hit a hut, knocking it over in the process. Liam crossed both of his blades and caught Urthalias' saber in another lock.

"Talk to me Urthalias! What did you mean by all of that!?" he pleaded with his former ally to explain.

"I don't need to explain myself!" Urthalias delivered a blast of lightning to Kiber with his free hand and Liam went reeling backwards. He landed on the body of one of his old tribe mates, reminding him why he was here. Liam looked up as Urthalias walked over to the destroyed hut, but just as he went to strike at where Kiber had landed the sand began to shake beneath their feet.

Pieces of wood and metal were sent flying all around from the shockwave that Kiber created with the force. Urthalias rolled back and winced as he realized that a small metal pipe had pierced his left shoulder and blood leaked out onto the sand. Kiber stood up from the wreckage and cracked his neck back and forth. Liam rose to his feet again and ran towards them while Urthalias pulled the pipe from his left shoulder and threw it to the ground.

"You do not understand the limits to my power!" shouted Kiber as he held up both of his hands at each of his opponents. Electricity struck out at both of them. Liam used his sabers to try and absorb it, but the pure forcefulness of it was still pushing him back and leaving marks in the sand with his feet. Urthalias on the other hand simply held his own hand out and the lightning arced to his own fingers like a lightning rod.

"I do!" he said as he pushed back with all of his might and the electric assault was sent right back at him. Kiber trembled as he was shocked by his own attack, but recovered in time to catch Urthalias' saber with his own. Liam picked up a wad of sand in his hand and threw it into the air. When the sand was a cloud of dust in front of him, he pushed it as hard as he could with the force and it hit both of the other fighters. The sand particles hit them more like rocks with the power of the force behind them and both duelists flinched back and covered their faces from the barrage. When they had recovered, Liam was on them. Liam took the blunt end of his hilt and nailed Urthalias in the back of the head. Urthalias hit the sand hard and spit out blood. Liam focused then on his brother as the two of them struck at each other as fast as they possibly could. Kiber slipped back on the loose sand and Liam cut his shoulder spaulder off on his right arm.

Kiber recoiled and looked at how close his brother was to taking off his head. Kiber disregarded it and lunged forward and up as Liam jumped back to avoid. Kiber resembled a dancer of sorts as he swung around with his other blade and then repeated the motion a second time. Liam noticed too late what he was trying to do. He had been pushed back so far that he tripped over Urthalias and landed with his back on his. Kiber leered as he went to plunge both of his sabers into the pair of Jedi, but was interrupted. Urthalias, quick as a flash of light, pushed Liam off and put both of his hands up to Kiber's blades, blocking them with the force. The light blades crackled and flickered when Urthalias began to absorb the energy they emitted. Kiber became wise of his intentions to disable his weapons so he pulled back before his opponent could completely destroy his sabers. Liam came to life as he flipped over Urthalias like a tornado of light and struck out at his brother once more. In what was but a moment Liam distracted Kiber by flashing his saber remarkably close to his face, but stabbed Kiber's left leg with the other blade. Kiber felt the slight simulated pain of his cybernetic leg being penetrated by the blade and flinched as he backed up away from his brother. His leg wouldn't move, it was just dead weight.

"Good luck walking with that." Liam said. A fist clouted him in the face and he fell to the ground as Urthalias pulled his arm back and grabbed his saber instead. Kiber gathered himself and closed his eyes. He focused on his leg in his mind's eye, and the force did the rest. He commanded his leg to step forward and it complied. Kiber pushed back Urthalias' attack and they both staggered from the unexpected force of the attack.

"I will have my revenge!" He said.

* * *

Lynaree was in the cockpit now; she had been waiting for Kiber to return for half of a day now and he was still not back yet. It was understandable that she would be worried. But, from over the horizon she could spot many flashes of light in three different colors, near a cliff of some kind.

"Kiber?" she wondered aloud. She grabbed the controls of the ship and prepared to take off.

* * *

Lightning tethered between the hands of Kiber and Urthalias as Liam watched from the side lines; he saw no area in which he could intervene, and no opportunity to stop them. The two force users stepped closer to one another, inch by inch as they fought for control over the power that was suspended in between them. Electricity arced off in every direction as the two of them groaned and grunted and pushed at each other as hard as they could. Finally when they were only a foot away from each other Urthalias pushed back harder than Kiber had anticipated. Kiber was sent rolling back and hit his head against a rock. Urthalias approached his soon-to-be victim and raised his saber.

"Urthalias! NO!" screamed Liam as he darted forward. Urthalias should have struck the blow then, but he turned around when he thought he heard the sound of an engine. An explosion kicked up the sand around Urthalias as the giant blaster-cannon bolt landed just beneath his feet, sending him flying into the village wall. Liam looked up and saw the fury that had almost killed him before, on Manaan. Worst of all: The cannons were trained on him now. He dropped all other thought and ran out of the village, dodging the blaster cannon left and right with the assistance of the force. Lymathe saw the Jedi sprinting back and activated his own cannons.

"Okay Lymathe… let's rock!" he said to himself as the enemy ship continued to hover in the same spot. He depressed the two buttons on his controls and the cannons of his ship threw yellow bolts of energy at the Fury. The bolts were deflected by the ship's shields and Lynaree brought the ship down lower so Kiber could get up. Holding his bleeding head, Kiber jumped up onto the half opened ramp with his new droid companion and made the blurry trip to the cockpit.

Liam jumped on top of Lymathe's ship and opened the top hatch to let himself in to the vessel. "Follow them!" shouted Liam at his pilot and brother. Lymathe flipped numerous control switches and other mechanisms to get the freighter started, but it was too slow for the already airborne Fury as it rocketed off into space. "Dammit!" exclaimed Liam as he smashed his fist against the wall. The two brothers went silent for what felt like forever.

"What do we do now?" Lymathe asked as he sighed and turned the ship back off.

"We go bury the dead…" Liam replied morbidly. They walked all the way back to their old settlement and Lymathe almost cried when he set his eyes on the grisly scene. It was then that Liam remembered about Urthalias. However, when he went to the part of the wall that Urthalias had knocked over when he went flying into it; no trace of his being was there to be found.


	29. Drowned Regret, and Pronounced Pain

Lynaree held her breath when she saw Kiber's leg short-circuiting as he tried to make his way to the cockpit; to her. He looked up and saw her running towards him so he stopped and tried to regain his strength. HK-55 seemed to realize that she was not a target, so despite his itchy trigger finger he did not raise his weapon against Lynaree. She jumped forward and grabbed Kiber in her arms, warmly. She looked down at his twitching leg.

"What happened down there?" she asked.

"I would rather like to know what YOU are doing HERE!?" he said as he tried to hide the anger in his voice. He gave specific orders not to follow him, but he could never stay mad at her, right?

"I'm sorry… I just…"

"What? You wanted to meet my brother? You wanted to see me in my most pitiful state!?" he grabbed at her shoulder and forgot about his own strength. Lynaree winced as he dug into her shoulder. "When he is nearby… I always fail, always! I did not want you to see me in case… THIS happened!" he pointed down at his leg. The cybernetic leg was causing him great pain. With a real limb he would be able to block out the pain with the force, but with the simulated pain of the cybernetic limb he could not as easily, and he had used up whatever strength he had long before he entered the ship.

"Then why would you go?" she whispered back. HK seemed to be staying out of the situation at hand. "Why would you go if you thought you were going to fail?"

Kiber did not know the answer to that himself, but this time was different. It wasn't his brother that foiled his plans, but ultimately the man who claimed to be the brother of Pohn; the man who began it all. He let go of Lynaree and leaned onto the wall as he made his way to the lab inside his ship to hopefully repair his leg. Lynaree followed him the whole way, hoping for an answer to her question.

"Kiber!?" she shouted. He nearly slapped her, and she flinched back with a face full of pain. He realized now what his anger had forced him to become, a monster. Perhaps he would have to regulate if not control his emotions— _NO! That was the path of a Jedi! _He thought to himself. He needed these emotions to strive for what he wanted most and by the force he would accomplish his goals. His anger fed him, but it made him hate those that he loved when left unchecked. Finally, in this one moment, he began to understand why the Jedi feared the dark side – it was too powerful to fully control, whereas the light side of the force could be completely controlled (at least in theory).

"I'm sorry…" he said impulsively as his mind continued to connect patterns in his logic. Why had the Jedi not tried to find a medium? A half-way point in the force? A perfect existence. A peaceful existence. His mind was racing; he should not have been thinking so hard when so much strain was already put on his nervous system by the flaring artificial nerves in his leg. He grabbed a shelf in the side of the Laboratory's wall and grabbed out numerous tools, sloppily, as he breathed heavy from the pain. He threw them on the work table nearby and sat down in a chair beside it.

"Hand me… the vibroscalpel…" he moaned.

"You're going to just operate on yourself!?" she exclaimed. Kiber looked up at her with pain in his eyes.

"… Yes…" he groaned.

"That's… That's… Stupid!" she said with her arms up in the air in disparity of his ego-based decision.

"I love you…" he said softly, "but I deserve the pain… I deserve this for failure to myself, and to my Galaxy…" Lynaree sighed and then grabbed him the vibroscalpel. One day his obsession would be the death of him, but she would be there for him until that end.

* * *

Lymathe wiped his watery eyes as he and his brother, Liam, walked away from the giant burning funeral pyre for their former tribe. He almost burst into tears half way through their make-shift ceremony. Liam had noticed that, for a smuggler and a spice-head, he had a heart of innocent intent. He put his pilot's cap on and hid his face with his cowl; Liam put his hood up as he looked back to see the dark smoke rising up to the innumerable stars of this galaxy. No one would weep for the sand people, no one would mourn their passing and it was likely that no one would even bat an eyelash at them as their bodies went up in flames. But Liam would forever remember; remember that his brother was the one who had done this, and perhaps it would fuel him; drive him forward. Perhaps the light side of the force was not enough. He had thought on the original mantras of the Jedi time and time again – and maybe, just maybe, the darkness was not to be feared. Maybe he could find unity. The Dark masters of old were not thought of by their peers as "mean" or "evil", but often as respectful although misguided. His train of thought was interrupted by his brother.

"That… Kiber… he's our brother?" he asked softly into the cold desert night.

Liam was careful to respond, "He was… now I'm not so sure…"

"I'm gonna kill him." Lymathe said suddenly and with anger in his voice, "I'm gonna make him suffer for smiling at their deaths like that!" he snarled toward Liam and for once Liam was actually scared of him, "I don't care WHAT he is to me!"

"Learn to let go!" was all that Liam could think to say, "He was a kind boy at one time – and I'm certain that he's still in there." Lymathe grabbed Liam's shoulders and shook him back and forth.

"You just contradicted yourself, you idiot! Did you see him!? He is NOT kind, or anything else good! He is a monster and I'm gonna get my friends together and we're gonna-!" Liam punched his brother in the side of the face and he stumbled back before falling backwards onto the sand. He held his face and looked back up at Liam.

"Revenge… never solves anything." He said as he held his hand out for Lymathe to grab. Lymathe hesitated, but took his brother's hand and was hoisted up onto his feet again. "I'm sorry." Liam said.

"Don't be, I wasn't thinking straight…" he stood silent for a moment, "but saving Kiber is not an option, even you have to see that."

"I do…" Liam mumbled, "But I just don't want to believe it."

* * *

"_Worried Inquiry: Are you alright, Master? You appear to be in a great deal of pain."_ HK pointed out the obvious as he witnessed his master welding his cybernetics shut – while they were still active. He noticed tears of agony running down his face from the sheer burning pain of it welding together. He finished and set the welding tool down beside him.

"I'm- I- I'm fine HK, but you're not going to s-s-stop calling me master are you?" he joked even as his words trembled from the self-imposed torture and he wiped his brow.

"_Explanation/Apology: I am sorry, Master. It is hard to change such programming when it is so deeply rooted into my original programming."_

"It's fine… just… leave me alone for a little bit."

"_Compliance: If you wish it so, Master; I will be watching that Twi'lek while I am examining the cockpit – she will not try anything, Master!"_

Kiber pulled in his droid with the force and grabbed it by its cold metal neck, "She is to be trusted… if you harm her, I will deactivate you without a moment's notice!" he snarled at the droid. The droid stood back up as its master released it.

"_Realization: Oh, I am sorry, Master. I did not realize you two were so close."_ Kiber got to his feet, as painful as that was, and planted his right index finger on the chassis of the Hunter-killer.

"You will treat her as a second master, understood?" he said sternly. HK stood up straight and nodded his rigid neck.

"_Compliance: If that is your command, Master."_ The droid walked out of the laboratory and closed the door behind him. Now was Kiber's time for contemplation, meditation. Now that he looked back at the training he received from his sith masters, maybe the ways of the sith were not as free as he was led to believe.

"The force shall free me…" he whispered in the empty metal room.

* * *

An hour later Lynaree came from the cockpit and opened the door into Kiber's laboratory. Kiber was in deep meditation and did not hear her as she originally called out his name.

"Kiber!?" She screamed at him. His head rose to attention and he saw the look on her face; confusion and worry.

"What is the matter?" he said calmly.

"Kyshwanee is trying to reach you on the Comm… should we answer it?" Lynaree asked. Kiber got to his feet, slowly, and walked forward, pushing Lynaree gently out of the way.

"I will, you will stay out of her view – there is no reason for her to know that you are here."

"Okay…" she agreed reluctantly. Darth Kiber hid his neither polished nor buffed metal leg beneath his robes and proceeded to the comms terminal in the holoprojector room. The simulated pain had faded, but the tiring effects of the procedure still lingered on. Kiber approached the terminal and activated the bleeping holoprojector. The blue visage of Kyshwanee flickered on and she crossed her arms impatiently while she waited for her own screen to focus.

"_Hello there, Kib. How has life been treating you?"_ she said with a smile on her red (right now blue) face.

"As well as I could ask for, but that is not why you have called me, is it?" Kiber crossed his arms as well.

Kyshwanee giggled innocently and sat down in the Repulsorlift chair that was positioned behind her, _"I want to arrange a meeting; don't worry, I have already surrendered OUR child to you and all I want to do is talk."_ She smiled again.

Kiber was suspicious, but he knew that deep down – after their last encounter – she did not have the courage to betray him. She would have to bring an entire legion of soldiers now that he had this new power awakened within him – the one Urthalias had described in such great detail. What this power meant was anyone's guess, but it seemed to allow him greater depth into the nature of the force.

"Where do you want to meet?" he said. Lynaree looked surprised by his answer.

"_Felucia; it is a planet within the system of the same name residing in the Thanium Sector."_ She began punching some keys on the keyboard positioned on the arm of her chair, _"I'm sending you the coordinates for the meeting point – see you soon, Kib."_ She said playfully as the holo-replica of her flickered down. Kiber turned to see the surprise evident on his Lover's face.

"What are you thinking!?" she exclaimed.

"She won't try anything, don't worry." He said, but he knew that as crazy as Kyshwanee was that there was no way to be sure that she would not betray them. She was devious, and evil as a rule. A true Sith lord. Maybe that's what he saw in her in the first place. "We'll depart right now."

* * *

"So what now? Do we just head back to Rhen Var and pretend this never happened?" asked Lymathe as he sat with his brother in a local cantina in the Tatooinian city of Anchorhead. Liam looked up from his spirits and sighed.

"That's all we can do… it's part of our mission."

"What do we tell the others?" he asked.

"I… I just don't want to answer any pressing questions right now, okay?" Liam took his bottle of alcohol and downed every single drop of it in one gigantic gulp. Liam shook his head in disgust of his decision and slid the bottle over to the side of their booth that had a wall.

"Holy crap! You drink like a spacer." Lymathe said. He was obviously impressed that his supposedly straight-edge brother could hold his liquor better than he could.

"Yeah… but it's just getting me angry, I should stop while I'm *Hic* ahead…" this was his third bottle of some strong drink that even the hardened locals flinched at. He was getting looks from all around the bar, some of respect, and others of disgust. The force detoxed his blood stream before he could get too drunk, so it took a while for the poison to take its effect. He wanted to forget, but that wasn't the way of a Jedi. Jedi were supposed to remember and then act upon those past experiences in the future, to preserve the future.

"I'm still on my first bottle of the stuff; we've been here ten minutes!" he exasperated. Liam felt like his stomach was having a lightsaber battle of its own in his gut. His stomach churned like the inside of a sarlacc pit.

"This is my fault… I should have never gotten the Ghorfa involved." He said as he planted his head on the table in front of him. Lymathe sighed and put his bottle down.

"C'mon, let's get out of here." He said as he grabbed his brother's shoulder, "I've had enough moping for one day." He dragged Liam by the shoulder all the way to their ship and even strapped him into the pilot seat. He was nearly asleep by the time they took off. It was funny in a way; at first it was Liam looking after Lymathe and telling him how to live his life, but now Liam was face first in the gutter for once.

"I'm guessing this is a bad time to suggest giggle-dust?"

"Not even once, Lymathe…"

* * *

A day later, the three spacefarers: Kiber, Lynaree, and HK, arrived on the planet of Felucia… but they never expected anything of this calibre. The whole planet seemed covered in vegetation from pole to pole, and even as they flew low to the canopy of the giant mushrooms they could see Acklay and Rancor, as well as some beasts Kiber had never even known existed. Small humanoid creatures climbed the "Trees" and mushrooms to get a better look at the aliens that have decided to invade their home. Darth Kiber could sense that this planet – as insignificant as it seemed – was strong in the force; the WHOLE planet.

Lynaree set down in a clearing not too far from where the coordinates Kyshwanee had sent them led to. The three shipmates stood beside the loading ramp as it opened to the ground below. The ramp opened to a very green world and a very pungent aroma of some kind of alien plant. HK made a sighing sound from his vocabulator and equipped himself with his rifle.

"_Warning: I sense numerous Organics approaching from the south, the east, and the immediate south-east. Orders, Master?"_ said the cautious assassin droid as he prepped his blaster.

"Kill anything that attacks us first; there is no reason to upset the locals, yet…" he said. Lynaree took out both of her blasters and her eyes darted around like an alert guard dog.

"If anyone comes near us, I'll blast 'em!" she said menacingly. Kiber had forgotten how intense she was when it wasn't just the two of them or better yet, when they were in battle. She was a master sharpshooter if he ever did see one. Kiber took out his silver bladed saber, but kept it disengaged.

"Let us away from here." He said as he pointed off in the direction of the meeting point. The three of them began walking on top of the soft and moist dirt beneath them.

HK had a mind however to ask why they were here; an inquisitive mind was not standard in this type of droid, or so Kiber had thought. _"Inquiry: What past relations do you have with this, "Darth Kyshwanee" Master?"_ Kiber kept walking but spoke.

"She was my wife once; I thought I loved her, but she betrayed me and took my son from me."

"_Consolation: Just take solace in the fact that Love can be a very fickle human emotion, Master Kiber."_ He said to his master.

"I thank you for your concern, HK, but it is unneeded." The three of them remained silent for a few moments before there was a rustling in the brush to their left. HK aimed but did not shoot at the exotic foliage that surrounded them. Kiber ignited his saber in hopes that it would scare off whatever had been tracking them, but the rustling continued. Suddenly three blue humanoid creatures popped out in front of Kiber on the trail. These strange creatures had large muscular arms that ended in four pronged webbed claws with smaller, more agile arms protruding from their fore arms, very strange indeed. Stranger still, their faces appeared to be a mass of blue-cyan tendrils that only separated where their eyes were meant to be, but all that was visible were gaping black holes. They walked hunched over and low to the ground.

Kiber held his laser-sword out at the seemingly sentient interlopers and they flinched back from the silver light that shone at them. "Do you understand me?" he asked. One of the Felucian tribesmen stepped forward and made some strange grunting noises at the invaders.

Kiber focused his force power into his ears and his mind to hear what the creature said, _Why are you here, outsider; these are our swamps, why should we not kill you?_

"So you do understand me?" Kiber said.

_We are in tune with the magic that lives within the ground, and the shamans of the tribe have taught us many ways with which to use this power, such as communication. Now-!_ The tribal smashed his skull-blade into the muddy ground and his friends started to become restless, they came to defend their home, not chat with the invaders, _Why are you here!?_

"We have come here to meet with someone; we have no intentions to disrupt the environment so if you will just-!"

_You have already disrupted the balance of the magic within this place! You are tainted with dark sorcery!_ The Felucian's friends started grunting and making guttural noises beneath their tendrils and headdresses.

"… Do not make me kill you." Kiber warned to them. The Felucians prepared their blades and made ready for battle, but a voice called from behind them.

_Stop this madness! The forest does not want blood to be spilled upon its leaves and bulbs, it wishes for peace._ Said another Felucian of much larger stature and red skin that came up behind his comrades. The three other Felucians cowered before their spiritual leader and clasped their hands in prayer.

"Who are you?" asked Kiber to the shaman with his large headdress that covered up a lot of his facial tendrils.

_I am the shaman of this brood… and you are tainted like none other I have seen before. You wound the magic of this place by simply walking here. You pull the magical power from the ground as you step and it pains us._

"Do you intend to stop me?" mocked Kiber to the Shaman.

_No… I can only ask you to be done here as soon as possible; we will leave now for my kin and I fear the darkness that follows you._ Before Kiber could say anything else, the four tribesmen had disappeared into the fungal forest again and were completely out of site.

"We will…" Kiber said.

"That was… interesting?" said Lynaree, confused as to what had just transpired. Kiber put his saber back and kept walking forward.

"He asked me to be done quickly, and I'd rather not break a promise to our gracious hosts on this ungracious planet – so let us be off once again." He said, almost cheerfully. Lynaree just rolled her eyes and followed with HK behind them.


	30. The Enemy of my Enemy is my Friend

Kiber pushed the colorful alien leaves and bulbs out of his way as he continued to tromp through the Felucian jungle with his two companions in tow. Lynaree was on edge with both of her blasters firmly grasped in her hands, and HK-55 was his usual cold, metal self with his blaster rifle placed steadily in his steel claws. Previously HK had been complaining about the mud getting into his articulation in his legs, but Darth Kiber swiftly commanded that he cease before Kiber lost his mind.

"Droids do not complain; be a droid!" he had said.

The trio resumed their slopping through the muddy terrain of the highly irregular planet forests. Giant fan-blade like leaves would fall down seemingly out of nowhere to defend the forested area; the planet truly was a living entity all on its own. And this planet had the backing of the force, the light-side of the force so it seemed to Kiber. It was as if the muck beneath his boots was even trying to impede his progress.

"HK?" called Lynaree, "How far are we from the meeting place?"

"_Answer: We are within fifty feet of the target destination."_

"That is certainly closer than I thought." Kiber remarked as he trudged forward. After less than a minute more of walking through the rainbow of trees opened up into an indented clearing with solid ground to finally walk upon without being swallowed by the surface beneath them as the mud did. In the center of the grotto carved into the forest was Kyshwanee with a brute of an alien standing at her side. Kiber had heard of these aliens before, but never before had he ever seen one in the flesh. It was a Dashade; a tall and semi-reptilian alien race that was nearly wiped out when their home planet's starwent supernova. It had grey-white skin and stood beside its master with its arms crossed and an intimidating look on its blank face. Kyshwanee still had the same usual smile on her face, as innocent looking as a blood-covered Acklay in the middle of a city.

"Kiber! How nice of you to join us!" she said as she stepped forward and put her purple hood down, revealing her long dark hair with her horns protruding toward the sky.

"Why have you called us here?" Kiber asked without proper greeting.

The Dashade stepped forward and almost shook the ground as he placed his leg frontwards. It then pointed at Kiber threateningly and spoke in its own gravelly, ancient, alien language, "My master shows you great respect, you will show the same or I shall devour you!"

"Please, Rhala, there is no need for violence." Kyshwanee told her servant as she slid her hand down his armored, and muscular, arm. If Kiber had to fight Rhala, he could guess that it would be a fight to remember when considering that Dashade could dispel many force powers.

The Dashade stepped back, "Yes, my master…" he complied.

"_Observation: It seems that me and the Dashade have something in common; our devotion to our masters."_

"Silence, HK." Kiber warned. The droid gave a silent salute and held his rifle at attention.

"Who is your friend back there?" Kyshwanee asked innocently as she pointed at HK.

"I'm more interested in your friend…" Kiber implied as he crossed his arms and leaned lazily to one side.

Kyshwanee circled Rhala as she felt up his armor, and he stood there unflinchingly, "This… is Rhala Vemus. He is a Dashade that was trained on some backwater planet as a shadow warrior eons ago, but after I saved his life he pledged allegiance to me. I'm amazed you've never met him to be honest." She came to a stop and returned to her standing position. "Your turn?" she pointed at the droid.

"We're not here to talk all day." Snarled a bitter looking Lynaree.

Kiber turned to her and said, "Cool it, now!" very softly, but angrily. She scoffed and turned her head away.

"I suppose we're not…" Kyshwanee agreed surprisingly. She snapped her silk covered fingers and the Dashade brought out his vibroblade. Kiber's group readied themselves. But instead of attacking, Rhala plunged his blade into the ground and left it there. "Oh wait, yes we are." She giggled mockingly as she threw her lightsaber to the side and it rolled across the dirt. "There is no need for weapons when all we're doing is… talking, hm?"

"I'd much rather keep my armaments, thank you." Kiber said, "You know that I don't go back on my honor unless someone goes back on theirs." He said as he stepped forward and continued to approach Kyshwanee. He stopped with just a foot of space in between him and his former love. She felt his face and smiled.

"I know…" she nearly whispered. Lynaree was about to do something about it, but before she could Kiber decided to take hold of Kyshwanee's wrist. Her servant appeared alarmed, but he did not stir much from his stillness.

"We are here on business; as if you could ever bring me any pleasure." He mocked at her. It was times like these when Lynaree remembered why she liked him so much. He threw her hand to the side and gave her a stern look.

"I see that you are still bitter, even when it is I who should be that way." She pointed out with barred teeth. Kiber struggled to keep his anger inside, and to his side he could see the plants around them beginning to wither from the dark side energy emanating from the two sith lords.

"This is not about Zajeem. What did you call me here for?" he asked with a blank voice. Navigating through the jungle had battered his patience, which he seemed to be out of to begin with.

"Urthalias…" Kyshwanee said with familiarity.

Kiber ignited his lightsaber against his better judgement and placed it underneath Kyshwanee's chin. Rhala went to grab for his sword, but Kyshwanee held her hand out to shoo him back. "How do you know that name?" Kiber scowled over the humming of his silver saber.

"It is the name of the gigantic thorn in our sides." She smiled and grinded her teeth back and forth, "I'm sure you know that name well."

It would have brought Kiber so much pleasure to have lunged forward and be done with her, but now was not the time. He put his lightsaber away and threw it to the side before grabbing his other saber and throwing it as well. "How do you know him?"

"He's been posing as a prospective sith for some time now; getting in good with all of the powerful sith lords – he even swooned ME." She turned in place as she spoke, as if she liked the added drama it brought, "But I think he is a double agent for the Republic."

"Oh, I NEVER would have guessed that!" Kiber said angrily as he threw his hands up in the air.

"Why would you have known; did you already deal with him?" she asked.

"Lyn injured him, but I could still feel his presence when I left the planet."

Kyshwanee didn't care what planet they were on or what they were doing there. The only thing that mattered to her was: "Injured how?"

"I don't know, I didn't have enough time to give him an examination, sorry." He loved mocking her, as it was the closest thing to killing her that he could get right now.

Kyshwanee seemed to be getting just as impatient as him, "We need to cooperate if we want him dead." She handed Kiber a datapad and he swiped it from her dainty hands, "I don't know why you want him dead yourself, but my informants tell me that he has been prying into a lot of information on you."

Kiber activated the pad and saw that it was password locked. It was then that he realized that Urthalias would be one of the people to know the code. Back at the Jedi temple, so long ago, Pohn had decided one day to hack into Kiber's personal datapad and gave the password to every kid in the temple. Even in death Pohn continued to torment him. He had kept that password for a lot of the encoded technology that he used, and now it was coming back to bite him; he knew it was a bad idea from the start. He looked up at Kyshwanee, "Why do YOU want him dead?"

"Because he's been leaking my research to the republic; he's not a very good snoop, never covers his tracks well enough." Kyshwanee explained as Rhala began picking at his dirty claws beside her.

"You were always touchy about your "Research"." Kiber said while a devious smile spread across his face. Kyshwanee was not impressed.

"Those are the blueprints to my creations; my children." She held her arms out wide, "My perfect weapons that I try my best to develop for the empire." Kiber cleared his throat and returned to the situation at hand.

"Why do you need my help, though?"

"Because you can respond faster than my troops and I can with that "Tricked Out" ship of yours." She planted her pointing finger on the Darth's chest and he just stared at her until she stepped back. "I'll tell you whenever my informants find out where he could be, and then you go in and mop the floor with his entrails."

"_Statement: I heard the word "Entrails" master! Can we kill something now?"_ HK interrupted.

"Soon enough, HK. Just wait." Lynaree told him as she patted the shoulder of his chassis. Kiber whipped his cloak around and stepped back toward his droid and his pilot.

"I'm assuming that we are done here?" he said.

"Yes, yes, you can go now." Kyshwanee turned to Rhala and then used the force to retrieve her saber, "Let us be gone now, Rhala."

"As you command, master." He replied as he ripped his sword from the earth and placed it on his back. Kyshwanee turned back to the other Darth for a moment.

"Until next time, Kib." She said before walking off into the forest. Kiber watched as her purple robes disappeared into the sea of bright but cool colored leaves and mushrooms.

"I can't wait to get out of here myself…" he grumbled. He turned away from the direction from which Kyshwanee had disappeared and began to walk back towards the ship. Suddenly, a horde of the tentacle-faced Felucians burst through the edge of the thick forest and brandished their crude weapons. In the distance, Kiber could hear the pounding of something into the ground, constant, like steps being taken by a creature of some sort. The Shaman that they had met with earlier came through the brush and stood with his staff in his hands; aside from that, his facial tentacles were also slightly more mangled and had the appearance of dead wood. His kinsmen shared a similar facial style, and their mouths and eyes were now visible.

The shaman spoke, but his voice was hard and rough, even more difficult to understand, _I realize now that my decision was wrong. You are far too dark a being to allow living, look at what you have already done!_ The shaman stabbed his staff into the ground and pointed to his own disfigured face. The other Felucians began to shout and growl as they prepared to fight at the command of their leader. The loud noise became louder, and louder.

"What are you talking about, tribal?" Kiber asked, unaware of what he had done.

_This is your doing!_ He pointed to his compatriots and then at the flora that had withered and died during his conversation with Kyshwanee, _We must sacrifice you to the Ancient Abyss if we wish for the healing process to be sped along._ He stepped forward again and crouched in a fighting position.

"I knew this would end badly." Kiber sighed and displayed both of his sabers, "I am NOT being sacrificed for anything."

_You are a fool to not understand the implications of your actions! The tainted power within you is hurting more than just you; it pains everything that touches you-!_

A blaster bolt shot forward and hit the shaman in the right eye, killing him instantly. Kiber turned to see Lynaree with her pistols held straight ahead of her. "Speak for yourself." She said angrily. One of the larger looking Felucians tilted his head back, up to the sky, and made a whooping-like call to the jungle. Numerous similar calls echoed back and Kiber knew just what was about to happen. Kiber heard something behind him and turned to see Kyshwanee and Rhala come rushing through the trees with their weapons in their hands.

"Don't just stand there you buffoons! We're being attacked!" Kyshwanee barked at the three other intruders in the forest. Kiber ignited his blades and ran forward to slash one of the aliens across the chest, and did so successfully. When he spun around to strike at another, he was blocked by one of their crude looking blades.

"What sorcery is this!?" he nearly shrieked as the surprisingly strong alien began to push him back. Lynaree and HK began to open fire and took cover behind some rocks in the clearing.

"_Relief: Finally, something to kill for the master!"_

"Don't get cocky!" Lynaree called out over the clash of the battle as she popped up from behind her cover and shot another Felucian in the head. Kiber knew he had to get his opponent before another flanked him and took a hit at him when he was most vulnerable. He force pushed the tribal away and slashed to his left, cleaving the alien he had sensed in half. Kyshwanee was piling up bodies by using her force lightning; until another shaman appeared from out of the forest and began absorbing her force power. She diffused her tether of lightning and screamed in frustration. Rhala was doing well himself, but many wounds marked his chest just from the beginning of the battle. Kiber charged at a Felucian with his sabers disengaged and then ignited them as he placed the hilts against its chest. He tore through the side of the creature's body with both of his blades and then circled around to slash another across the chest with both of his weapons. Still the noise of thumping continued to grow louder, and it was so close that it actually shook the ground.

Most of the sith's enemies were now dead, but that was just the beginning of the carnage. The edge of the forest was obliterated as a painted rancor burst forward out of the trees and roared as it spit saliva everywhere and gnashed its teeth in hunger. Atop the rancor's hunched back was another shaman that called out something in his language that made the colorful rancor begin charging forward. "You can't be serious?" Kiber sighed. He forced his previous opponents back and stormed after the rancor that was aimed at Kyshwanee. She slashed her purple blade across the chest of the pesky shaman and then turned to the rancor with her hands raised. The rancor was a few feet from her when it was stopped dead in its tracks and was slowly forced back with Kyshwanee's control over the force. Her display was impressive, but she exasperated sounds of pain and groaned as she barred her teeth in agony. Kiber had to do something.

He rushed and then leapt up onto the back of the rancor, where the yellow colored shaman was perched. The alien growled at him and then grabbed his two skull-blades from their sheathes, clashing them together intimidatingly. Kiber chuckled as he stabbed one of his sabers into the back of the beast being ridden and it recoiled back from Kyshwanee, instead throwing itself around in a frenzy to dislodge the blade from its back. The shaman was not prepared and was flung from the rancor's back, hitting the ground violently as he slid across the dirt. Kiber stabbed his other weapon even deeper into the rancor's hide and began charging both of them full of electricity.

Back on the ground, both HK and Lynaree were pushing the jungle men back with their own weapons, which left Kiber and Kyshwanee to deal with the Rancor.

"Perish!" he said as he discharged all of the energy in his body into that of the rancor. The giant beast began to flail wildly, nearly shaking the sith free from him, but eventually came to a standing stop before falling forward and smashing hard against the ground. The Yellow shaman got to his feet but was met with Rhala's blade through his chest. Rhala then licked his lips and crunched his jaws into the shoulder of the Felucian, spitting the meat out soon after.

"These things taste like rotten wood!" he said in his language as he threw the Shaman to the ground with his muscular arms. Kyshwanee fell to her knees and began to breathe heavily, spitting onto the ground and wiping her mouth as she did to get the bitter taste of stress from her mouth. The Felucians soon fled as the two marksmen continued to fire on them through the bush. Kiber jumped from the back of the dead rancor and approached Kyshwanee. He extended his hand and she took his wrist. He helped her to her feet and Kiber began to walk away without saying a word or waiting for a thank you or show of appreciation. He saw that their attackers had fled and turned to see Kyshwanee still gathering herself as Rhala helped her stay on her feet. "Get off of this insane planet before more of these pathetic creatures come for you." He said. Kyshwanee groaned at him but rose to her feet and brushed herself off as she watched him walk away. Kiber grabbed Lynaree's shoulder and she embraced him in a surprise hug.

"Thank the force we're alive." She whispered.

"Run back to the ship with HK, I'll be along soon." Kiber told her. Lynaree was about to object before Kiber held his finger up to her face and shushed her. "No buts." He said anticipating her statement. She nodded her head and ran over to HK, grabbing his arm.

"Let's go HK!" she said as the two of them ran off into the forest. Kiber walked over to the head of the expired rancor and crouched down beside its gaping jaws, which confused Kyshwanee who was standing beside the beast.

As he bent down and reached inside the monster's mouth, Kyshwanee heard a snapping and crunching sound, and then a second one. Kiber got to his feet and in his grasp he held two Rancor tusks of similar size and shape. "A souvenir." He said as he began to run off in the same direction as Lynaree.


	31. Creating What You Sought to Destroy

Lynaree treaded up the entrance ramp to the fury and pressed the button to open the airtight door. HK was behind her the whole time with his weapon at the ready, watching for enemies. She opened the door and ushered the droid inside, but before she got in herself, she took a quick glance to see if Kiber were near. Just then he came rushing through the brush of the alien forest in his dark armor. She exhaled her relief as he made his way up to her and grabbed her in his arms.

"Let's get back to the fleet." Kiber said.

"That's a good idea." Lynaree said as she pulled away from him and made her way to the cockpit, where she belonged. Kiber could still sense the suffering of the people on this planet, and what he had done to them. Plants were wilting everywhere he had stepped and the creatures of the forest were twisted into horrific monsters. This was just another reason why the dark side was to be feared.

Kiber walked into the ship and closed the door behind him, ready to take off.

* * *

Another day on Rhen Var was, well, another day on Rhen Var. There was never anything to do in the old temples, or the frozen wastes and now Liam was as depressed as ever. He stayed in his room most of the time, and when anyone asked what had happened or why he had left he would just dodge the question and go on moping. It was his fault, his fault that all of those Ghorfa were slaughtered mercilessly by his brother and his fault that he could barely look Ruro'r in the face anymore. When he found his mind to be particularly heavy he would walk over to the other side of his room and scoop up his baby girl in his arms. Arderna reminded him that there was something to live for in this galaxy.

The door to his room opened and Nakari walked in, giving him a peck on the cheek before sitting down beside him. The baby barely stirred in its sleep and her breathing was healthy and soft. "Why won't you talk to me?" Nakari asked Liam with a whisper.

Liam remembered all of the time that they had spent with the sand people, and suddenly, he found himself unable to speak, unable to explain. He struggled to exhale any words and when he finally said anything all he said was, "Kiber killed them…"

"What? Who did Kiber kill?"

"Our tribe, all of them, dead." He said as his voice continued to waver.

Nakari clued into what he was struggling to say and gasped loudly before putting her hands to her mouth. She was a Jedi, so not a single tear slid down her cheek, she would not let that happen.

"W-W-Why? Why would he do that?" she began to strain her words as well. Liam knew that he could give her every grisly detail, but what would that accomplish? Maybe he shouldn't have told her anything in the first place.

"He wanted to get to me; he knew that if he killed them that I would sense it – even if I was half a galaxy away." Liam put his head down and looked at his child, the one perfect thing that he had ever created. This is what Kiber's empire would destroy, whether it was intended or not. Liam would not have it.

* * *

Illegal cybernetics were easy to find on Nar Shaddaa, and within its deepest reaches it only became easier. Urthalias was strapped into a metal cybernetics dock and robotic arms whirred and beeped around him. The room was dark and steam rose from vents in the floor barely visible to his eyes. His body was scarred all along the left side, and his left hand had been completely vaporized in the explosion. It would take very expensive cybernetics to allow him to use force lightning once again.

Kaarxe, a red scaled Trandoshan and long-time friend of Urthalias, sat across from the fallen Jedi and watched over the procedure as the Human "Doctor" prepared all of the cybernetic pieces to be attached to Urthalias' charred body. He finished attaching the side of a robotic hand onto one of the operating dock's arms and turned to face Urthalias. He swallowed hard when he saw the Jedi's face. The left half of his face had been burnt to a point of unrecognizability, and his left eye was missing completely as well as his nose.

"I'm ready… doctor…" Urthalias mumbled without moving his burnt face too much.

"Then I shall begin the procedure…" he answered his patient. The doctor pressed a button on the console beside the dock and it seemed to tighten the straps restraining Urthalias. The arms clicked and beeped faster as they closed in closer and closer to Urthalias. The straps released and receded into the sides of the table; Urthalias found he was unable to move his body – it must have been a sedative of sorts. The first arm grafted a kind of flexible materiel onto his charred skin up and down his arm; like that of under armor. Next it clamped a thin metal plate around his forearm that was almost charred to the bone. He immediately bit into his lip as the pain grew and grew and other arms of the operating dock joined in to attach the plate to his skin. He felt the arms drilling into his bones and attaching the cybernetics to his nerves.

The Trandoshan almost flinched as more arms came and began working up Urthalias' leg; they began amputating his foot and replacing it. Urthalias could see tears clouding his vision as the agony became nigh unbearable. The arms worked as they continued making their mocking beeping noises, sliding into place before preparing the next piece of the human puzzle. Around his joints, the robotic arms grafted a flexible materiel and then attached that to the metal that covered the rest of his arm and leg.

When they had finished his limbs they moved onto his scarred torso. They ripped his robes with scissor-like attachments and pulled the dark cloth away to allow them access to his injuries. The grafting of the flexible materiel continued as the arms began to attach it to much of his chest. He winced as they then fixed more metal plates around his breast and down by his hip. His remaining eye jumped to the side as he noticed a group of robotic extensions getting closer and closer to his face.

He felt the remainder of his hair being shaved away all over his head and his resolve was the only thing keeping his objections in check. Arms began to operate on his face, tearing at the skin and replacing it with rubbery materiel that burned as it was applied to his raw wounds. He felt his entire face being covered and an arm reaching into his unused eye-socket, attaching the sensitive nerves to his new eye. As the eye was carefully put into place, his eyes were covered with a visor that was encompassed by a full head mask that the arms wrapped around his now bald head. The arms stopped and went silent.

However Urthalias was still unable to move.

"Remain calm. The next step of the procedure is beginning." The doctor said.

Kaarxe looked at his friend's new face, covered in wires and plastic. He had a respirator right where his mouth and nostrils were (where his nose used to be) but he looked largely unfinished.

"What is the next step?" The Trandoshan asked in his strange raspy language.

"Plasteel, to cover his exposed parts and give everything a more polished look." The doctor answered as he pressed another button.

The arms whipped back into action and grabbed nearby grey Plasteel armor plates off of the wall, like that of a republic soldier's armor. Urthalias heard the plates being fastened onto his arms and legs by the doctor's cybernetic dock, and everything began to come together. His chest, left arm and left leg were encased in the Plasteel moldings and sprayed with white paint by more of the robotic arms. Arms moved to his head once again and attached a solid Plasteel mask to his already covered face. His long respirator that ran from the top of his nose to his chin was the only thing not covered by the mask other than the slit-like visor. The arms finished their procedure and Urthalias was released from his sedation after a single injection from one of the arms.

As the table was raised forward and into a standing position Urthalias' breathing could be heard. Each breath sounded painful and metallic. The man who stood up from the dock was not the same man who had entered it. The entire left side of his body was armored like an elite trooper of the republic, just the way he had wanted it.

"_I will destroy the Empire – and Kiber – at all costs…"_ he said before he continued his heavy and stressed breathing.

The Doctor turned to the side and produced from the side of the console another black robe. He offered it to Urthalias who then took it and covered both his Organic and Cybernetic halves with the dark cloth.

"_This will do for now…"_ he took in another breath before putting his hood up, _"Kaarxe, pay the man."_

The red Trandoshan held out three credit chips to the doctor who then took them and began to stare in awe at his most recent, and generous, pay. Urthalias continued to breathe through his mask.

"_Let us be off…"_

* * *

"Have you ever heard the name… Urthalias before?" Kiber asked his captive. The General of the fleet he had captured had just awoken and he went straight back to the interrogation room.

The General's head shot up and a single bead of sweat descended down his cheek.

"I've never heard that name in my life."

Darth Kiber grabbed him by the neck and pulled the man upwards, putting tension on his restraints and cutting off circulation in his limbs. He leaned in ever so close to the man and then spoke.

"Do NOT toy with me." Kiber threatened as he grinded his teeth.

He released the General from his grasp and let him fall back into the interrogation chair. Kiber's captive breathed hard and then let out a hacking cough that sent his head forward and back, like a ragdoll being thrown against a wall. When he settled he took one more deep breath and then turned to face his torturer.

"Suppose I did know that name… what would you want to know?" Rogers asked cryptically.

"Everything."

* * *

The Lounge area of the dreadnaught was remarkably comfy for such a pristine looking military ship. Lynaree and Xaffaj were watching the latest holo-report. Xaffaj had returned from a trip to Mandalore and he had a battle skirt similar to Kelann's tucked into his belt. It appeared to be made of a synthetic fiber of some kind.

"So… what's with the skirt anyways?" Lynaree asked mockingly towards Xaffaj. The Mandalorian turned to her and chuckled as his cybernetic eye flickered.

"This is not a skirt. It's a _Kama_, a battle garment worn by warriors such as I." he rebutted with a prideful smile.

"Well it looks like a skirt to me." Lynaree said as she giggled jokingly.

Kiber emerged from the entry way to the hall leading to the interrogation chamber, with a successful smile on his face. He walked over to the sofa-like piece of furniture that Lynaree was seated on and sat down. Xaffaj cocked his head and looked at his brother, inquisitively.

"What did you learn? If you learned anything at all." He asked as he leaned forward and grabbed a bottle of some kind of alcohol off of the table in front of him.

"He confirmed everything that I already know, after what happened on Tatooine at least."

"What did happen on Tatooine?" Xaffaj asked as he ran his fingers over his helmet on his lap.

"_Suggestion: I recorded the entire affair with my holo-recorder. If you wish I may show you?"_ said the HK unit as he came around the corner suddenly. Xaffaj stood up and held one of his blasters out towards the machine, ready to fire.

"Xaf! He's with us!" Kiber said as he stood up from the seat and positioned himself in between the droid and the bounty hunter. Xaffaj groaned irately and zoomed in on the droid with his robotic eye, continuing to grunt in frustration.

"I can't find any files on this scrap-heap!"

"That's because he's unique; a pre-production model." Kiber tried to explain. Xaffaj put his blaster away and sat back down.

"Why didn't you tell me that you bought another droid?"

"Because I never bought him. I found him on Tatooine." Kiber motioned for the droid to come closer and his servant abided, "See. Look at these marks on his chassis; sand damage."

"Never mind," declared the Mandalorian, "I want to see that Holovid!"

* * *

The Holo-Projector room of the Rhen Var base was outdated and rusting over in some places, but it was still functional. Liam entered the room and approached the machine, pressing the button down to turn it on. The hologram of Master Satele Shan that flickered on was barely recognizable as her because of the interference from the constant storms on the planet and from the space in between the two planets.

"_You… Want- Contact *Bzzt* us?"_ he could barely understand what Satele was saying.

"Yes, I needed to inform you of something."

"_What- *Bzzt* the matter?"_

"I encountered Urthalias on Tatooine, and he has turned to the dark side…" he explained.

Satele did not speak for what seemed like an hour, _"Is he- *Bzzt* -ing for the Sith *Bzzt*?"_

"I do not think so; he attacked Kiber."

"_Kiber was- *Bzzt*? Why was- *Bzzt* there?"_

Liam opened his mouth, and he did not want to speak. He spoke regardless. "He killed the members of my Sand Person tribe…"

Satele shook her head and held it gently in one hand. _"I thought- *Bzzt* -elt Disturbance in- *Bzzt* -orce…" _she looked just as troubled as Liam.

"Last I saw of Urthalias he had been hit by a ship's blaster bolt and was sent flying. We found no body." Liam continued to get off of the subject of his brother.

"_This- *Bzzt*"_ the picture jumped for a moment before reforming in her image, _"Troubling news- *Bzzt* I will need- *Bzzt* -mune with the rest of the council."_

Liam bowed forward and she did the same, putting her hand to her heart, _"May the force- *Bzzt* -e with you."_ And then her image disappeared. Liam continued to stand in the icy room even as the holo-projector shut down. Would the council listen to her? Even if she was the grandmaster of the order that would only get her so far. They would not go looking for Urthalias, no, they had more pressing matters to deal with, like politics. Due process and the democratic way were seeming to slow down everyone these days, and the senate would eventually pay for not being quick enough to act against the atrocities that the sith would surely commit. It was Jedi like his mother that should be the inspiration for the republic and its people, not the Jedi that sit around in their temple pretending to decide a course of action and ultimately doing nothing.

Liam was fuming with rage as he finally began to understand why his brother became a turncoat like he did, because democracy was too imperfect for the galaxy that he wanted to create. Urthalias too must have realized that the subtle methods of the senate were far too restrained to defeat the sith, so he too went rogue. Now he too was questioning this bastion of freedom and peace that was the Galactic Republic. Liam knew, by the force he knew, that the sith were evil, but at the same time he wondered how much of the information being fed to the republic citizens was made up; to indoctrinate them. Perhaps no one is without their own evils.

Heretical thoughts would get him nowhere right now, so he decided it was best to leave such reflection for his meditation period.

* * *

"Return them to Republic space." Kiber said as he placed his mask on his belt.

He and General Hamlin were surveying the prisoners from the republic fleet that they had locked up in the brig; many of them refused to eat imperial rations simply because of where their loyalties lied. Hamlin had a look of confusion on his face, followed by his arms being held forward in a defiant matter.

"But sir! We just captured an entire quarter of a republic fleet!" he held his left arm out towards the prisoner's holding cells, "You want to simply… let them go?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" Kiber asked rhetorically. Before Hamlin could argue, Kiber spoke again, "There is no strategic point in keeping these prisoners any longer, and I have what I need. Any other sith would torture each and every one of them." He felt down his own face, where his sith markings were. "But I'm not just any sith; I am not without mercy."

Hamlin bowed before his designated sith superior. "It will be done immediately, my Lord." Hamlin walked over to one of the windows that had an intercom beside it and pushed the button, sending his voice to all of the holding cells.

"Prisoners are to line up in front of their cells and await departure from Imperial custody…" he turned to look at the sith lord, who nodded his head slowly, "You are being returned to Republic Space by the order of his benevolence Darth Kiber."

Kiber looked into the glass holding cells and noticed the troopers looking at him, still in their suits of armor that they had been captured in. Many of them turned their heads to look at their captor, and then they began to remove their helmets. Men and women not much older than him stood up from their cots and began to… salute him. He was not confused; after all he had respect for the infantry men of the republic, they were not stuck up like their superiors, and they were not without their own mercy. The soldiers and other crew members lined up in front of their now open cells like they had been told to, and they were watched over by their Imperial counterparts; no funny business.

Kiber watched as they were escorted to one of the Imperial frigates. The soldiers smiled and nodded as they walked past the sith lord. Kiber could not help but be filled with the positive emotions of so long ago, from back when he was a Jedi. It felt almost as good as destroying his enemies…

"_What now?"_ Xaffaj said as he approached from behind his brother with his helmet on.

Kiber turned to him for a second before turning away and walking down the long hallway on the way back to the bridge. Xaffaj followed him as the Sith lord spoke.

"We plan. We prepare." He grabbed the mask off of his belt, "We attack. We battle." He slipped the mask over his face and latched it into place with a steam-releasing click.

"_We Triumph…"_

* * *

"_Ahhhhhhhrg!" _Urthalias roared in pain as he sat in his ship which used to be property of the Jedi; until he stole it and changed its ship codes. Every step he took was painful, and until his new cybernetics came in he would have to make due. Without a Bacta injection module or other similar device his skin would have a constant burning pain that was just as painful to experience and watch as it would seem. His masked face could show no emotion, but his voice was trembling, even then it had deepened significantly because of his advanced respirator.

"Are you alright, Fleshy-one?" Kaarxe asked as he turned the corner into his room. Urthalias had stripped down to barely anything and now one could clearly see the contrast of his cybernetic parts compared to his organic half. His chest was scarred horribly wherever there was no metal or fibers covering the bare skin. His breathing was as loud as a starship engine going through hyperspace.

"_I am…"_ he breathed, _"Fine."_

He turned to look through his ship's window, showing the not-so-beautiful orb that was Nar Shaddaa. If he had to search every star system in the known galaxy, he would, just to find the man who destroyed his life.

"_Look at me…"_ he said as he raised his robotic hand and looked at it with a fire burning in his spirit. He clenched it in a fist. _"I will make him pay!"_

"Goddess will grant Fleshy-one many Jaggannath points for killing the Dark-one." The Trandoshan remarked, referencing his religion. The ex-Jedi seemed to pay him no heed.

"_The pain… the pain will keep me going…"_ he began to breath franticly, but he continued to speak, _"I will destroy him and all that he holds dear."_ His stressed breathing continued through his voice-deepening respirator, and it continued indefinitely.

End of Act II


	32. Peace for Too Long

ACT III

9 ATC – five years following the secret violation of the Treaty by the republic…

Nar Shaddaa, the crown jewel of the Hutt Cartel's criminal empire. Holo-ads flickered and beamed down light onto the metal walkways below in the thick planet-wide city as aliens and humans from all over gathered and dispersed. A man in a long black cloak walked forward with a taller cloaked man following behind him. The taller man's red-scaled snout stuck out from underneath his hood and his teeth overlapped his scaly lips. The smaller cloaked stranger crossed his arms as he approached two imperial guards that stood outside of a giant compound built into the metal foundation of the planet.

He stopped before them and spoke in a raspy, metal-filtered voice, which was always interrupted midsentence with a large breath like a ventilation shaft, rickety and metallic.

"_I would… like entrance…"_

"Darth Ralanon is not seeing anyone. Piss off!" said one of the guards as he stepped forward in his jet black armor. The man sighed.

"_You will… allow me entrance."_ He said.

"I will allow you entrance…" echoed the guard as he stepped back and input a code on the door's keypad. The door opened and the guard motioned inside. The man's distinct breathing continued.

"Darth Ralanon will see you-!" he was stopped midsentence as he began to choke. His companion on the opposite side of the door began to choke violently as well. They both fell to the ground grasping at their throats as their muscles seized up and they soon fell dead.

"_They will never… question anyone again."_ The man said to no one in particular. The two hooded and robed figures entered the door, stepping over the two bodies, and found themselves in a long metal corridor. They followed the hallway for a time, and eventually entered a gigantic main sanctum in the building. The room was focused upon a holo-table that a large, imposing figure leaned over. The man had cybernetics covering his body, and each of his limbs was clearly a robotic mimic of his previous appendages. Metal horn-like protrusions shaped like bolts of lightning shot up out of his helmet giving him the appearance of having a mane. His two apprentices unsheathed their lightsabers and slowly walked toward the visitor.

"Stop." Commanded one of them, a human boy.

The man continued moving.

"I said STO-!" with the power of the force, he was violently thrown against the wall a good twenty feet from where he was standing. His friend – a Zabrak girl – looked taken aback, but their master continued to hunch over the table; indifferent. The boy fell to the ground, unconscious now.

The man did not stop moving toward the sith lord. The Zabrak apprentice brandished her blade and ran at the invader.

"You will not harm my Master!" she hollered as she brought the energy blade down on her enemy. The man stuck out his hand, gauntleted in white Plasteel, and deflected her strike with nothing more than a swipe of his finger. The lightsaber went flying all the way across the room. The girl fell to her knees and stared up in disbelief. She was defeated before the fight had even started. She no longer interfered as the man stepped toward her master.

"_Darth Ralanon... I desire an audience… with you."_ He said with a pause as he once again hid his hands beneath his shrouded cloak.

"_And who might you be?"_ Ralanon asked as he slowly turned around. His mask had two protrusions like downward facing mandibles.

The cloaked man removed his hood to reveal a white full head encasing mask with a long respiration device down the height of his face and a thin visor covering over both of his eyes.

"_I am a man… on a mission." _Urthalias said.

* * *

"Daddy!" Arderna said as she ran toward her father, as he returned from an expedition, with her arms spread wide. Her silvery white hair was done up in a ponytail at the back. Liam kneeled down and caught his daughter in his arms, quickly whisking her up into the air before setting her back down on her feet. The child stared up at her father's frozen, eyeless face. Liam tousled the girl's hair and walked over to his wife. As their bodies met, they embraced each other for a bit as the door began to shut out the storming cold from outside of the temple.

"We were worried." Nakari whispered to her husband. Liam kissed her cheek. His lips were freezing and frosty. He smiled.

"Nothing will ever happen to me, not with Jar Loon at my back." Liam looked behind himself as Jar Loon – the Kel Dor Jedi – stepped forward with frost coating his respirator as it sputtered out icy air from being partially frozen.

"_As always, it was you who saved my life out there." _The Alien let out a cough that seemed to distort through his respirator into static, _"Not the other way around."_ Liam smiled at the Kel Dor it was hard to find someone so trustworthy. Arderna tugged at the sash on her father's waist.

"Daddy, can we go play now?" she said excitedly. Liam reached down and lifted her up into his arms.

"I have to go train with Rue right now. Do you want to come and watch?" he asked. A smile lit up his daughter's face.

"Yeah!"

"Okay then, let's go." Liam started off for one of the many hallways in the temple, but stopped when he saw Lymathe stumble out of one of said hallways with Yowsa in tow. The Miraluka adjusted her eye covering and brushed herself off as she quickly made distance between her and the smuggler. Liam walked up beside Lymathe with a crooked mouth.

"What was that about?" he asked his brother. Lymathe looked up and shook his head, as if he had just realized:

"You're back!" Lymathe said suddenly. Liam smiled and shook his head.

"Just noticed that, did you?" Liam asked rhetorically.

"You're funny, uncle." Arderna said as she giggled. With her wide smile you could see she was missing a tooth. Lymathe rubbed his small goatee and smiled back.

"Guilty as charged, Darling." He patted his brother on the back and walked off. Liam shrugged up to help support his daughter and then looked forward.

"Try to sense where Rue is." He said. Arderna looked very confused.

"How?" she whispered.

"If you can," Liam said, "Then you'll know how too eventually."

* * *

"It has been five years! How can you tell me that we have found nothing!?" Kiber shouted irrationally at the dreadnaught's holoprojector as he smashed his hands down on the projection machine. Kyshwanee's image flickered for a moment after, but then refocused.

"_He is good at only showing himself when he wants to be seen. All record of his previous false sith identity has been erased, apart from word of mouth – every sith he has met with can verify that a "Lord Indevicus" visited them, but there are no records." _She crossed her arms uncomfortably. Kiber looked at her in disappointment, his tattooed face scrunched in frustration.

"I am known for my mercy, but I cannot go on for much longer without killing someone – my rage is that built up." Kiber could see his hands shaking involuntarily; he stopped them from doing so soon after.

"_Far be it right for ME to tell YOU this… but watch for even the faintest hint of betrayal."_ She leaned closer to her own projector, _"I will contact you again soon – stay safe."_ Her image disappeared. Kiber sighed with a grunting undertone, expressing his anger alone in the dim room. He pushed off of the machine and walked over to the door, pushing the button beside the portcullis and allowing it to open. Hamlin was waiting for him outside, with a full helmet in his hands. It was pitch black in color, like Kiber's armor, and the visor was the same shape and with the same pattern surrounding it as the old one. The fangs he had ripped from the rancor years earlier on Felucia were placed in such a way that it appeared as though they were backwards bending horns growing close to the skull. Five other fangs of other origins were on the mask and helmet as well. Two were laid against the cheekbones of the mask just below the visor, the points pointing inward to its face, with a third laid across the length of its head, pointing down toward its visor, and finally two fangs hung from the side of its jaw, pointing to the floor. It was more magnificent and fear-invoking than Darth Kiber could have hoped for.

"I see you have my new helmet ready; can it at least—?"

"Yes," Hamlin interrupted, "The facial area can disconnect from the rest of the helmet." He reached down and pulled in such a way that the top of the visor and the parts around it disconnected from the rest of the armored head covering. Kiber took the helmet in his hands and slipped it down onto his head. Hamlin showed him how to adjust it before he could even ask, by applying pressure directly at the back of the helmet. It fit snug around his skull. Next, he placed the mask in place and it clicked familiarly with the same sound of steam releasing. He felt the fangs of the beasts and could instantly feel the stories told by these now preserved bones.

"_It is… fitting."_ He turned and began to walk down the hall. Hamlin kept a brisk pace so as to not lose his master's words, _"How much did you pay the armorer to make this work of craftsmanship?"_

Hamlin adjusted his collar, "Five thousand credits, it was the same armorer that suited you before."

"_Ah, I like that Gentleman. Send him double the fee and my regards for a job well done."_

"I will do so at once, My Lord." Hamlin increased his pace to return to his quarters and leave the darth to do whatever he pleases.

"_Hamlin."_

The General stopped midstride and turned on a dime to face his lord. "What is it, Kiber?"

"_Where is my brother, currently?"_

"Oh yes, the Mandalorian fellow – quite well-mannered for his brood, Hm? Well, last I heard he was Swoop-Racing on Nar Shaddaa."

Kiber sighed, _"Perhaps I shall call him later."_

Kiber walked down the long metal corridors of his dreadnaught for what seemed like forever until he reached his quarters. He could hear the sounds of laughter; of childhood. The automatic doors opened almost silently so he could see the scene within untainted by his presence.

Lynaree pressed a button and then pointed at a Holostatue "Now, what's this?" she said to the small Zabrak child beside her on the bed. With his pale red fingers he pointed to the statue.

"That's a Rancor! Rawr!" he said as he stood up on the bed and made like a rancor attacking someone. Kiber tried to stifle his laughter, but it was in vain. It came, but muffled through his mask. After Lynaree was done laughing, she looked to the door and saw Kiber. She could not help but continue smiling.

"Hi Honey." She said as Kiber approached the bed and sat down, his cape collecting itself behind him. Zajeem looked up with his tattooed jaw gaped wide at the sight of the imposing helmet.

"_Are you afraid?"_ Kiber asked with a completely monotone, emotionless voice – obviously trying to generate some kind of fearful reaction. Lynaree shook her head with a look on her face that said, _Typical Kiber_.

"No."

"_Really?"_ Kiber replied with false disbelief. _"Well then you are indeed my son."_

"He sure is. Did you see how scary he was back there?" Lynaree said as she began to laugh again. Once again, Kiber was drawn back into a time when hatred was not an emotion known to him, and he laughed. Zajeem interrupted.

"Will I get armor like that someday?" he asked wonderingly. Kiber wished he could say yes, that he could place the power of the force into the hands of his child, but he couldn't. He couldn't hand this boy a lightsaber and expect him to make armies bow before him.

"_You may very well wear armor someday, but it may be for a different purpose."_ He reached down and touched the top of the child's horned head, _"Maybe even like your uncle's."_

* * *

"WOOOOOH! Eat it, _Chakaar!_" Xaffaj screamed out the back of his Swoop-bike as he ripped down the track, hitting every acceleration point and leaving all of the competition in his vapor trails. Just as he passed one of the many stands, through his robotic eye he could see Kelann for a split second before he sped past.

She shouted at him, though he could not hear her, _"Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum! Oya, parjir!"_ she yelled continuously these words of praise even though he was now very far away. The sounds of the swoop engines lingered even after they had sped past.

Xaffaj sped through the finish line in almost record time, with the other bikes more than a few seconds behind, which was a significant lapse in time in a swoop race. In the next minute, Kelann arrived in a speeder and got out to congratulate her husband. They embraced and locked their lips right on the end of the long, straight track. One of the Trandoshan racers ripped off his own straps and jumped from the bike, ripping off his helmet a second later and throwing it hard onto the metal below.

"_Cheater! Die!"_ it said in its raspy language. He came at the Mandalorian with a knife in hand. Xaffaj let go of his wife and quickly whipped around to catch the lizard's blade arm, pulling him in. Xaffaj activated his wrist mounted vibroblade and shoved it through the bottom of the Trandoshan's jaw. As the body dropped to the metal floor the crowd cheered and whistled, shouting his praise. Xaffaj raised his arms into the air, and in traditional Mandalorian fashion, asked if anyone else was willing to argue his victory.

No one was.

Urthalias watched him from the sidelines in his black cloak, and with his Trandoshan friend standing closely behind him. Kaarxe snarled through his red lips.

"Scorekeeper shows scaled one no honor, for he deserves none; fleshy half-droid man did not cheat."

"_Indeed… he did not."_ Urthalias agreed. _"And we may… have to confront him… if our original plan… does not pull through."_

"But it will, yes?"

"_I know it."_

* * *

Ruro'r slashed apart a large block of stone as Liam threw the heavy object forward with the force. One swipe was all it took, and the momentum from the swing was enough to blast the two new pieces away from the sand person. There was technically no resistance from a lightsaber's blade, but with enough practice the force could be used to give the illusion of weight to the weapon, allowing for greater control. The Ghorfa's lightsaber was a pale yellow that was comparable to white-gold.

Arderna sat off to the side, swinging her small legs back and forth in the metal chair that was much too big for her. She was completely enthralled in watching the exercises being performed before her. Her curiosity was just as prominent as with any five year old girl.

Ruro'r grunted as he was pushed back by one of the stones, before using the force to throw it back at his master. Liam literally caught the giant block and held it up in the air with one hand. Ruro'r looked absolutely stunned.

"You don't think I'm actually holding this right now, do you?"

_I guess not…_

"Good," he slowly levitated the block away from him before throwing the slab toward his Padawan, who then slashed upwards to send the split block flying upwards with it before falling back down to the ground. The room shook as the dust settled, "Because you would be wrong."

Arderna clapped ecstatically as Ruro'r disengaged his saber and bowed toward his master. Liam bowed back and they walked off to the side. Liam picked up Arderna and positioned her back on his knee as he sat down in her seat. The doors to the training room opened up and Jar Loon entered with a holopad. The Kel Dor walked up to the Miraluka and passed him the device. Liam looked at it inquisitively.

"What am I looking at?"

"_The winner of the Nar Shaddaa professional Swoop-racing championships for this year."_ Loon pointed down at the picture that accompanied the article. There was a photograph of a Mandalorian warrior clad in armor and a single cybernetic eye.

"What's so important about him?"

"_There are two things of interest with this particular bounty hunter."_

"Apart from being a Bounty Hunter, I assume." Liam said sarcastically. His daughter began to reach up to try and grab the Kel Dor's mask. Liam slapped her hand lightly and she put it back down.

"_He's near the top of the Republic's most wanted list for one. And second…"_ Jar Loon paused. Liam licked his lips and shrugged.

"And what?"

"… _We think he may be your fourth brother."_

Liam did a light scoff and smiled as he shook his head, but he could sense that the Jedi was still staring at him. He tilted his head back up and the smile disappeared.

"Wait. You're serious aren't you?" Liam asked.

"_Entirely. We pulled a sample of his DNA from our criminal database, and it was a near perfect match with yours."_ The Jedi explained as he crossed his arms.

"And how did you know that it was ME that he was related to? For testing, I mean?"

"_Something about his face… set off something in my head that told me he was your brother."_

"Well," Liam put Arderna down and she ran over to see Ruro'r, "what do you expect me to do with this knowledge? Arrest him?"

"_No, but I want you to talk with him; maybe he knows where to find Kiber?"_ He said. Liam cringed slightly.

"I just want to forget about him. He can't be that big of a threat anymore?"

"_My informants in the Imperial Military say that he has an entire army behind him."_

There was a long pause.

"You have informants?" Liam said with scepticism.

"_Why is that so hard to believe?"_

"Well," Liam found that his tongue could not find the right words to use, "You don't seem to be very crafty like that."

"_My informants also tell me that our old friend Urthalias has infiltrated the sith, and no one is the wiser." _Liam stood up abruptly and pushed his chair back. Jar Loon took a step back to give him space.

"That's not possible. Urthalias should be dead!"

"_You said that no body was found?"_

"But he should be DEAD!" he held his hand out and swiped to the side, "That blast should have been enough to vaporize most of him; there is no way that he survived."

"_But he did," _The Kel Dor put his finger up and waved it back and forth scolding him, _"And he has a new set of skin because you and Kiber were too forgetful to finish him, or bring him into custody."_

"Do not put blame on me! I was too busy being shot at by two titanic blaster cannons to care about anything else."

Ruro'r noticed the commotion from across the room and took the little girl in his arms. Arderna looked confusedly over at the scene.

_Let's go somewhere else okay?_

"Okay." She agreed before the two of them walked out of the training room.

"So you're saying that this "Xaffaj" guy might know where to find Urthalias?" Liam asked hopefully.

"_He is very good at finding people. And he may know where your other brother is."_

"Then I may not have much choice after all."

* * *

Only gentle humming could be heard coming from the engines of the dreadnaught this far into the ship. Lynaree watched in the nude, lying upon the bed as Kiber undressed himself with his back turned to her. As he removed his helmet, popped off his pauldrons and shrugged off his cape, she admired every curve of muscle in his body. He carefully removed his chest plate and his arm guards before removing the rest of his torso armor. Scars adorned his back as he tore the clothes from his body.

"You never told me how you got those." Lynaree observed. Kiber turned his head and looked down below his shoulder.

"Training, in the sith academy." He said as he began to remove his lower body armor. Lynaree continued staring.

"It must have been brutal."

"You don't want to imagine even half of the pain most acolytes go through in their trials." Kiber slipped off the rest of his clothes and advanced toward the bed. They got underneath the soft covering of the blankets and Lynaree rolled over on top of him. She pulled up his right hand and bent one of his fingers slowly. She could hear the soft sound of the mechanisms working in his cybernetic hand as the joints bent and the nerves reacted to her touch.

"I just realized that I've never asked you how you lost your leg or your hand." She whispered.

"Those were gifts from my brother… not the one you know of course-"

"The Jedi on Tatooine."

"Yes," Kiber stared deep into her eyes as her slim figure rubbed up against him, "That was him."

"But you're so powerful. I've seen you fight and no one should be able to-!"

"Liam can." Kiber interrupted, "And if I'm not careful, he will…"


	33. The Second Great Galactic War

2 more years later…

"Master Jedi!" called Captain Trevol as he ran toward Liam. Liam, who was walking alongside Jorek, turned and walked toward the man.

"Yes, Captain? What is the matter?"

"A message from Jedi Master Satele Shan is coming through in the projector room." He said.

Liam turned to Jorek and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Gather the others and meet me in the Holoprojector room." Liam said before letting go of the other Jedi's shoulder.

"It'll only take a few minutes. I'll be there soon." Jorek answered before running off to the quarters. Liam faced Trevol once again.

"Shall we?"

"Of course, Master Jedi – let's go!"

Within the next few minutes everyone had joined the meeting in the Holoprojector room, even some of the other troopers. All of the Jedi talked on and on, suggesting what they thought the message would be about and Arderna kept a firm hold upon her mother's robes. They rubbed their hands together in an effort to keep warm and fend off the icy death that seemed to shift around every corner of this planet. Trevol flicked a few switches and then smiled.

"Here we go! It should start playing…" then the hologram image of Satele flickered on, "It's only a recording, by the way."

Satele seemed tired, and her hair was more unkempt than usual, but she still held that perfectly calm and collected stance with her hands gently folded over one another in front of her.

"_Attention forces of the Rhen Var Republic outpost. We have urgent news._

"_The war has resumed."_ Murmurs of unrest could be heard from all over the room, _"As well… Master Orgus Din has… Master Orgus Din has…"_ her voice seemed to trail off as she struggled to speak.

"_Liam, Master Orgus Din is dead. He was executed by a Sith lord named Darth Angral aboard his Flagship the Oppressor. We have since defeated Darth Angral, but… there is nothing more we can use to douse the flames of this conflict. I fear that many neutral planets will soon become theaters of war."_ Liam could barely form a reaction; his mouth had begun to hang open drastically.

"_I have sent a cruiser with two thousand republic troops to aid you on Rhen Var. Lieutenant Captain Ardernus…"_ The trooper swallowed hard, _"I thought you would want to know that a month ago your friends in Havoc Squad deserted to the empire. They have since been dealt with… but we could only bring in Fuse and Tavus alive."_

"Goddamnit…" Ardernus said as he held his head in his hand.

"_Rhen Var could make a useful position to hold given its placement upon the galactic map within the Outer Rim. The Empire will strike here, I'm sure of it. Prepare your forces for battle and make ready for anything. May the force be with you."_ And then her image disappeared as quickly as it had been formed. Liam could feel his heart pounding. He had not expected this to come so suddenly. Barring all further hesitation, Liam turned to the Captain and barked his commands.

"Get all of our forces dressed in their Thermal Gear. Things are going to get very cold, very fast."

* * *

Darth Kiber could barely hear the engines humming anymore; he had grown too used to their gentle vibrations. He sat upon his Repulsorlift-powered seat of authority in the center of the Dreadnaught's bridge, overlooking his captains and commanders as they punched keys and talked into their headsets while overseeing their own operations. He heard the doors to the bridge open behind him so he swiveled his seat around to see General Hamlin and the now Darth Pravus enter his presence.

"_What requires my attention?" _Kiber asked before they could speak. Pravus stepped forward wearing a long sable cloak over thick plated armor black as space. The tattoos running across his fair pink head stood out just as they had seven years ago, like black serpents dancing across his skin.

"A Republic frigate wishes to dock." He said. His voice had deepened even more over the last few years.

"_And why would I allow them to dock with us?"_

"Because their ship codes are registered as stolen." Pravus answered. Kiber went silent and folded his hands in front of his helmet. After a minute of contemplation, he answered.

"_Send whomever is in charge to me, directly."_

"I shall see to it personally, my Master." Pravus bowed and then walked away, a unit of guards following after him. Hamlin watched as the sith walked away and then the general approached the side of Darth Kiber himself.

"I have news, my Lord."

Kiber slowly turned in his seat to face his General.

"_Good or bad news?"_

"Both, depending upon your perspective I suppose."

"_Well," _Darth Kiber began to rap his fingertips against the arm of his throne-esque chair, _"What is this news?"_

"The treaty has been broken." Hamlin answered with his spine straight and his boots together, "The war will continue." Silence. Everyone in the room turned in their own chairs to face the Dark lord, waiting for what he would do next. His fingers hung in the air above the arm of his chair, mid-thump upon the metal arm. He slowly raised his arms to his head and undid the top part of his helmet, taking off the helmet and part of the mask, but leaving the jaw and respirator in place. He placed his helmet on his lap and felt the boney appendages that protruded from it. His eyes were closed.

"Um… Darth Kiber, Sir?" Hamlin said as he tried to grab his attention.

Kiber's eyes opened to red and sulfurous gold, bursting with pulsating red veins as he widened his eyelids more and more. The blood vessels around his eyes had become increasingly visible and dark, spreading around his sith tattoos.

"_Everyone proceed as usual, this will not change our plans."_ The sith lord decreed. Hamlin bowed before him.

"Of course, my Lord." Hamlin was about to take his leave when Pravus returned with a republic trooper following behind him escorted by sith troops. He held his helmet at his side revealing his greying military-cut and baggy eyes.

"This is Commander Irlon of the troops that we captured seven years ago." Darth Pravus stepped to the side and motioned with his hand at the white-armor-clad man. The Commander stepped forward and bowed.

"I see that your fleet has grown a few ships since we were last visiting. How have you been keeping, my Lord?" the man asked.

"_Well enough." _The sith lord stood up and began walking down the incline to meet his guest, _"Why are you here?"_

"My men and I have a proposition for you." He said as he held out a pamphlet of sorts to the Sith. Kiber snatched the paper from his hands and opened it. What could be so important that it had to be in printed form on something as archaic as paper? Kiber looked taken aback.

"_Why are you showing me your discharge papers?"_ Kiber asked as he handed them back.

"Because every single one of the three thousand men and women aboard my ship received the same papers. Most of us were captured by you seven years ago. All of us however were seen mentally unfit for battle, but that was only an excuse. It was because we knew too much that we were discharged and abandoned by the Republic." Irlon seemed to be getting angry. Kiber held his fist to his chin.

"_I'm still not seeing a point."_ He said implicationally. The trooper tried his hardest to not show his annoyance in his facial expression.

"We want to join you, Lord Kiber. We don't want to serve your empire, sure, but you showed us more respect on that day than the Republic ever has." Kiber did not respond, "I will not serve your Emperor," Irlon continued, "But I will serve you," the aged trooper fell to his knees, "My Lord."

"_Hamlin?"_ Kiber said suddenly.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"_Have all of his men evaluated and registered as my soldiers, but make sure to get access to the republic service records so we can know for sure that they were indeed abandoned as he says."_

"Right away, my Lord!" Hamlin said before squeezing passed the troopers blocking the doorway. Kiber stepped forward again.

"_If you and your men pass evaluation, you shall become my personal strike force. Is that understood?"_

"Received loud and clear, sir!" Irlon answered as he stood back up and saluted.

"_You shall wash your hands of the republic scum and become my fist, my finest, because in all honesty your troops probably have far more combat experience than mine, and through experience I recognize that Republic troops know true ferocity!"_

"We won't fail you, my Lord. Frontal assault is what we're best at."

"_But if any of you betray my trust…" _the lord's voice seemed to trail off momentarily as he drew closer to the man, _"I shall see you suffer sevenfold."_

* * *

It had been a single Rhen Var day since the message from Satele and the extra troops had arrived. Dressed in full cold-assault gear they landed their Valor-class cruiser outside the base and deployed their troops to build outposts all around the wind and snow blistered valleys. Liam was amazed by how fast they had worked to build defences in preparation for an attack by the empire. By the end of the first day the base was bustling with new faces and busy hands working feverously on their preparations for the coming battle. But would there be a battle?

"_Master Jedi!"_ shouted one of the troopers. Liam finished putting on his own cold weather gear and turned to face the trooper. Liam's face was fully covered with fabric and tubes feeding him oxygen.

"_What is it?"_

"_We've spotted Imperial ships in the sector!"_ he screamed over the wind coming from outside. Even from a few metres away, Liam could still feel the icy death awaiting them.

"_Prepare the men; tell them to fire whenever they are in range."_

"_Yes, Master Liam!"_ The trooper ran off into the storming winds. Liam had never expected them to come this early. Sith were always quick to jump. And even if the right thing to do was wait for contact, he knew that with so few forces that if they did not attack first they would lose. It was a necessary evil. Right?

"_How close are they?" _Nakari asked as she approached in her own wintry suit.

"_Nearly close enough to kill us. Get Arderna deep into the temple, and tell Rue to wait with her for our return."_ Liam said before walking outside to join the troops. Ardernus was standing beside the base Captain and the commander of the cruiser; all of them were in different suits of republic armor. The rouge gale-force gusts blew snow past them like static from a hologram projector.

"_What is the situation?"_ Liam asked expectantly.

"_We're predicting them to attack within the next minute if they get close enough; they are traveling very fast toward us so we have ruled out negotiations." _ Captain Trevol said.

"_Then it is as I had feared."_ He said as he raised his head up to the sky. The ships of the empire would be upon them any minute, _"How big is their fleet?"_

"_They must have seen our strength because they have only sent two frigates against us."_ Answered the other captain, _"Rhen Var isn't all that valuable of a target anyways, so I doubt they would be sending anymore."_

"_No," _Liam disagreed, _"No, Satele said that this was an important location. They will send more."_ He turned to Trevol and turned him around by grabbing his shoulder. _"We need more forces. Radio the outlying systems and see if they have anyone to spare."  
"No can do." _He answered. _"Both Taris and Ossus are under attack by a significant amount of imperial troops." _Liam felt at a loss. He was almost sure that they would send more.

Then the ground began to shake and the snow falling from the sky blew off course. Liam could sense it in front of him. A kilometre down the soon-to-be battlefield erupted a cloud of snow, whipped up by a laser cannon explosion. He looked up to see something that no one had expected. A Harrower-class dreadnaught burst in through the thick canopy of clouds with its lasers absolutely bombarding the surface of the planet. Ardernus turned to the cruiser captain and grabbed him by the shoulders, rattling him back and forth.

"_Where in the hell are those two frigates!? This is no frigate!"_ the captain had no time to reply as the star destroyer's gun's blasts just barely missed the base.

"_Why are there no starfighters?"_ The captain asked. Everyone paused. He was right, there were no starfighters present on the enemy side. Liam considered it for a moment and then it hit him.

"_They didn't bring an attack party! They never knew that we were here in the first place!" _He laughed to himself, _"That ship was meant to build and defend an outpost, not attack one!"_ suddenly the smile faded from his face as he realized, most of the people aboard the dreadnaught would not be combatants, they would be civilians.

"_What are our orders?" _Trevol shouted. Liam shook his head and then ran through the scenario in his mind.

"_Destroy their primary systems and crash them into the ground; I will then take a portion of the troops to negotiate their immediate surrender." _Liam decided. The captain barked his orders and the Cruiser began to lift off of the ground as the artillery cannons on the surface aimed up at the Harrower's vital systems. The captain was ready to give the signal to fire, but then five drop ships flew out of the ship's hangar, dropping down so fast to the ice field below that no one had time to fire upon them. He gave the order and the artillery cannons began to barrage the Dreadnaught, ignoring the other ships completely.

"_Wait…"_ Liam muttered. Even through the thick snowfall, he could sense the glow of hot red lightsabers. A lot of hot red lightsabers.

"_Ardernus," _Liam said before igniting his Silver bladed saber.

"_Yes, Master Liam?"_

"_Tell Jorek and Jar to meet me at the crash site of those ships. Captain, send the majority of our ground troops there as well."_

* * *

"Hey Dad!" said a cheerful Zabrak child as he bounded up the incline to his father's seat in the center of the dreadnaught's bridge. A now helmetless Kiber turned around in his seat with a smile on his pale, almost gaunt, face. He reached down as his son approached him and tousled his long black hair.

"Son, why are up on the bridge?"

"Mom was being a nag." Zajeem said as he puffed up his cheeks in embellished frustration. Kiber laughed and then stood up from the Repulsorlift chair.

"Have you been studying the holo-recordings I gave you?"

"Yep, especially the one on how to operate starships!" the boy seemed jubilant just thinking about the idea of getting to fly a ship. Kiber gently grabbed his shoulder.

"Well then, why don't you go see if you know as much as you think?" Kiber said as he pushed his son toward where the pilots and captains of the ship were toiling. Zajeem nearly stumbled down the steps as he began to beam at the numerous knobs and lights flickering upon the metallic consoles. Kiber put his finger to his ear, and within the same second everyone else on the bridge had done the same. Kiber waited until his son was out of earshot and then spoke.

"Your future commander will be going around, likely with a curious mind. Humor him and spare no details in your answers, no matter how grisly or inappropriate. He is to be a strong soldier someday."

Everyone in the room replied in unison with: "Yes, my Lord."

Zajeem ran up to one of the more aged, and luckily more friendly, officers whom were sitting in front of the many consoles. The half-alien child looked up at the experienced man with a smile. The officer – his name tag read "Lanek" – smiled back at his surprise admirer.

"Ah," he said, "Master Zajeem! So good to see you again." The child pointed up at the console to a joystick-like protrusion.

"That controls the angle of the main turbolaser!" He said suddenly. The older man looked even more surprised now.

"I'm amazed that you actually know what this console is for, little one! Quite impressive."

"Yeah, my dad's been getting me these awesome holovids." Said the little one. The officer's head cocked to the side suddenly as he squinted.

"I think you're starting to pick-up an accent?" he said. Zajeem looked back up at the man with confused eyes.

"What accent?"

"Like your father, like me. An Imperial accent if I ever did hear it."

From a side door of the bridge entered HK-55, the assassin droid. He was carrying a small holorecording device in his small spindly hands and he approached his master with the device held forward.

"_Statement: A message for you, Lord Kiber."_ Kiber took the device and breathed one breath before pressing the button on the gadget. A small holofigure flickered on displaying a man with cybernetic parts and a mask with mandibles.

"Darth Ralanon…" Kiber muttered.

"_Darth Kiber, I have it on reliable authority that YOU were responsible for the death of my son over Hoth nine years ago. I'm sure you remember your apprentice of the time, Lord Raken, well he was my son and my sources have informed me that you had him eliminated under the guise of a republic attack on Hoth because he was becoming too powerful for you to handle."_

Kiber scoffed at the holorecording, even if the man behind it could not hear him, "Hardly."

"_I hereby challenge you to Kaggath!"_ Everyone in the room suddenly turned to face the Darth and the recording, including Lanek and Zajeem.

"_For two years I have been training and gathering my forces. I will destroy you and claim your armies to avenge my son. You may pick the battleground, but you have five days to contact me before I hunt you down regardless."_ And then the image disappeared. Kiber placed the holo-device on the arm of his chair, daintily, and then suddenly smashed it with his gauntlet sending pieces flying everywhere.

"Hamlin…" Kiber almost whispered. The general ran from across the room and leaned in to receive his Master's words.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Get my new frontal assault squads prepared and paint the hull of their formerly republic ship in Imperial colors. I will also need my new meditation chamber to be built ahead of schedule." The Darth smiled wickedly, "This fool has no idea what he is in for."

* * *

Liam ran through the snow and the winds with his lightsabers splayed out on either side of him as he sprinted toward the location of the drop ships. With the power of the force he would be able to fend off the cold, but it wouldn't work forever. Republic troopers were following behind him, but most had fallen far behind their Jedi General. Liam could hear his own breath clear as ever with the mask covering his face.

When he arrived upon the scene from over a hill, one dark robed and hooded man was executing a cowering republic soldier, stabbing him through the chest with his red lightsaber. Two other dark clothed sith stood behind him and ignited their own sabers when they spotted the Jedi watching from atop the snowy hill. One of the two other sith had a Double-bladed saber and the second one had two lightsaber tonfas and their hilts resembled batons that one would use to guard their forearms. There were many other red lightsabers in the distance, and the republic troopers charged past Liam to fight them head on.

Liam put one foot forward and allowed himself to slide down the slope of the icy hill. He stopped right before the sith trio, all of which held their lightsabers in unguarded stances confidently. All three of them appeared to be human. The single bladed Sith stepped forward.

"We never expected to find anyone here, let alone Jedi…" he said, licking his lips. Liam held his Lightsabers in his standard Ataru stance, ready for anything.

"_I will give you this one chance to surrender."_ He said through his mask. The Sith all laughed harshly.

"Landro, you can take him." Said the first sith. The one with the saber-staff stepped forward, twirling his double-bladed light sword through the air.

"With pleasure." He snarled. Liam stood his ground as the darksider began to advance on him. "Are you ready to meet your demise, Jedi?"

"_I am more powerful than you can fathom. Do not underestimate me."_

"Ha! The goading of a fool!" He said as he twirled his saber around again and leapt through the air, spinning as he flew toward Liam. Liam parried the attack and narrowly missed the sith's shoulder, causing the darksider to stumble back surprised. He snarled and went to strike again, jabbing his saber forward. Liam pushed his blade to the side and went to make his own attack. The sith was nearly hit with the silver blade, but managed to hold it at bay with his own blade. Liam pushed on the opposite side of the other end of his opponent's blade, and then forced him to spin it by pushing it like the motion of a windmill.

The Pale skinned human with his yellow eyes was too surprised to react accordingly. He watched as the Jedi slashed at him and cut his lightsaber in half, disabling one blade and leaving the other in his hands. The sith looked down at the heated metal on the end of his newly single bladed saber as it sputtered sparks. The two other sith looked at each other with skepticism. Liam's opponent growled and then leapt forward slashing down at his opponent. Liam crossed his own sabers and caught the sith in the cross of energy. He kicked the sith in the chest, stunning him, and spun around, striking at his enemy's right side. The sith struggled to hold back the strike with his single lightsaber, and he pushed back; he walked backwards to get some breathing room. He was breathing very hard.

Liam watched in disgust as a red blade pierced through the chest of the sith, the blade of his ally. Landro shivered as he slowly turned his head to face the single bladed sith. His former ally had a devious smile widened across his cracked face. He pulled the saber from Landro's back and kicked him to the snow. His body indented in the snow, partially hiding the corpse upon the pile of icy flakes.

"_Just remember that I gave you the chance to surrender."_ Liam said, hoping to throw them off. The hooded sith pointed his saber at Liam and scoffed.

"Landro was weak. I am Lord Pilus and I fear no Jedi."

"_I don't mean to frighten you, only to defeat you. And defeat you I shall."_ Liam placed both of his lightsabers on the same side of himself and held them above his head, again waiting for the first move to be made. Flashes of light and explosions could be seen in the battlefield around them.

"Lord Fiscre, let us show this whelp how wrong he is."

"Sounds like fun." Said the other sith as he began spinning the Tonfas in his hands. Liam placed his feet firmly in the snow and watched as the two sith charged forward at him. He took a breath and put his silver saber forward. Pilus went to strike at it from the side, but Liam moved it faster than they could see and pushed the red lightsaber up. He could sense the other sith, Fiscre, now with both of his shotos gripped by their main hilts and pointing down at him. Liam turned and put his blades in between the space separating the sith's blades, spreading them apart and then sending him flying through the air with a force push. Liam spun flashily around to catch Pilus' saber with his own blue saber held backwards. As Fiscre took his sweet time getting back onto his feet, Liam unleashed a flurry of lightsaber attacks on his opponent. Pilus was more skilled than he appeared, blocking every strike, even if some almost made it through. Pilus shoved the Jedi back and shot strands of purple electricity forward at him. Liam crossed his sabers and resisted the energy, dispersing it through the blades.

Fiscre charged at Liam, but he was not prepared. Liam swung his sabers to the side as Pilus had disengaged his electric attack and a ball of electricity and force energy was sent flying at the shoto wielding sith, knocking him back. He fell to his knees as lightning arced around his body, causing him to shudder violently. Liam grabbed Fiscre with the force, unable to resist Liam's power in his current state, and flung him at Pilus. The sith lord stumbled and pushed Fiscre away from himself as he continued running back at Liam. Pilus and Liam continued striking at each other's weapons like a deadly sparring session.

Fiscre roared angrily as he jumped back into the fight swirling his saber-guards through the stormy air. Liam used his force sense to see where they were going next, but Pilus was harder to read than most. Fiscre struck hard against Liam, but Liam moved quick enough to catch him as he recovered, cutting one of his Tonfas in half. He groaned, enraged with the Jedi, and grabbed his short bladed saber with both hands striking as fast as a blur against Liam. Pilus could barely get a hit in with his ally in his way. Liam made Fiscre flinch as his silver blade just barely caught his cloak. Liam used his hesitation to his advantage, quickly placed his blades down to his left, and cleaved diagonally with both of them through the sith's chest, slicing him into three pieces. The steaming corpse portions fell to the snow and Pilus recoiled from the sudden demise of his partner.

Liam twirled his sabers around in his hands casually.

"_Do you no longer have any snappy remarks to make?"_ Liam said as he paced back and forth, waiting to see what the sith would do. Pilus was breathing like a madman, with a maniacal smile spread athwart his face.

"You… Will… Suffer!" he said as he struck his hands out into the air and shot tendrils of royal purple lightning at the Jedi. Liam held his own hands up and disengaged his sabers. Silvery white threads of electricity shot from his fingertips and connected with the dark purple strands in the middle point in between the two force adepts. Electricity of both colors discharged around the small sphere of force energy at the center, arcing in all directions. The sith was surely surprised that a Jedi had control over force lightning that could rival his, but he would not show it. The snow of the storm blew around them as they pushed at each other with every ounce of their power, of their will. Liam's heart skipped a beat when he saw two more sith with blazing red sabers climb over another hill. They walked slowly and intimidatingly toward him. He wasn't sure what to do now. If he released his lightning he would be struck by Pilus, but if he didn't the two other sith would catch him when he is vulnerable. He was ready to accept his final destination.

Suddenly, a green double-bladed lightsaber cut through the foggy air and charged at one of the sith. It was Jorek. Jar Loon jumped from his other side, brandishing a blue lightsaber held forward at the third sith.

With renewed vigor Liam pushed forward harder than ever, stepping closer and closer to the growing ball of force energy at the center. Pilus could barely move at all and was powerless to do anything but watch as Liam draw closer and closer to the energy amassing in between them. Jorek and Jar Loon continued holding back the sith as their sabers clashed against the red sabers of their enemies.

"No!" Pilus screamed. Liam was mere inches from the focus of the energy.

"NO!"

Liam pushed with everything he had and sent the ball of force and electricity rocketing at Pilus. The sith's tendrils of lightning flew in all directions as they continued making contact with the sphere, but were incapable of stopping its progress. Pilus shrieked horribly as the energy sphere struck him and the pure raw force enveloped his entire body. The sith burst into ashes leaving behind only his armor and cloak. Jorek and Loon had quickly killed their own combatants and walked over to check on Liam.

"_Thank you…"_ Liam said.

"_We were not about to just leave you out here."_ Jorek reminded him as he disengaged his own lightsaber. Jar Loon pointed back toward the outpost

"_We should get back to the-!"_ There was the sound of a large explosion, cutting him off before he could finish his sentence. The Jedi trio looked up at the Harrower to see that a big chunk of its side dorsal ridge had broken off, falling down to the surface and causing an eruption of snow as it shook the ground. Another explosion happened then, destroying half of the Dreadnaught's stabilizers and thrusters. The ship then began its forceful decent, luckily away from the temple outpost, as it began slanting to the side and falling to the ground where the real battle was.

"_We still have a job to do here. Let's go!"_ Liam declared as he sprinted toward where the ship would soon be crash landing.


End file.
